Chapter 3 - The Experimental Model Flashcards
What are the symbols used in research design?
X= treatment (independent variable)
Y= outcome (dependent variable)
Z= any rival causal factor
O= observation
E= equivalence
What are rival causal factors and what are the types?
variables other than X (independent variable)
1. internal validity- did variable X produce a change in variable Y
2. external validity- can we generalize to other populations or settings
What is a spurious relationship?
A false relationship that can be explained away by other variables
What are the 3 steps to establishing causality?
- demonstrate that a relationship exists between key variables
- specify the time order of the relationship
- eliminate rival causal factors
According to lecture, what did experimentation in the social sciences begin in?
Psychology (perceptual psychology, behaviorism, mental measurement, human factors)
According to lecture, what two purposes of research is best suited for experimentation?
Explanation and evaluation
As mentioned in lecture, what topics in experimental CCJS research study effectiveness?
- arrests for domestic violence
- drug education programs
- correctional boot camps
As mentioned in lecture, what are internal factors?
variables related to internal validity
In class, what was the name of the monograph (the book) mentioned in class, and who are the authors?
Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Research by Donald Campbell and Julian Stanley
What were the internal factors mentioned in Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Research?
history, maturation, testing, instrumentation, statistical regression, selection bias, experimental mortality, selection-maturation interaction
What is history according to Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Design for Research?
specific events other than the treatment that during the course of a study may be responsible for producing the results
What is maturation according to Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Research?
biological or psychological changes in the respondents during the course of the study that are not due to the experimental variable
What is testing according to Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Research?
bias and foreknowledge introduced to respondents as a result of having been pretested
What is instrumentation according to Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Research?
changes in the measuring instrument from the beginning or first period of evaluation to the final evaluation
What is the statistical regression according to Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Research?
the tendency of groups that have been selected for study on the basis of extreme high or low scores to regress or move toward the average on second testing
What is selection bias according to Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Research?
involves choosing nonequivalent groups for comparison
What is experimental mortality according to Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Research?
An expected loss of subjects over a course of time
What is selection-maturation interaction according to Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Research?
combination of errors introduced by selection bias plus the differential maturation of groups
What are external factors and what were the examples used in the lecture and the textbook?
variables related to external validity;
interactive testing effects, interaction of selection bias & experimental variable, reactivity (reactive effects of experimental arrangements), and multiple treatment interferences
What are interactive testing effects according to Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Research?
the tendency of pretests to destroy the naivete of respondents with respect to the variables being studied and decrease or more predictably increase the subjects’ awareness of sensitivity
What is reactivity (Hawthorne Effect) according to Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Research?
producing unnatural behavior on the part of subjects; respondents figured out they were being studied but didn’t know why
What is multiple-treatment interferences according to Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Research?
occurs when more than one treatment or predictor variable is used on the same subjects
What is the Halo effect?
observer bias, observers follow an initial tendency to rate certain objects or subjects in a biased manner
What is the self-fulfilling prophecy?
a researcher’s hidden biases and expectations may influence his or her perception of events so as to bring about that which was assumed
What is post hoc error?
incorrect assumption that because one variable precedes another in time, it is the cause of the outcome
What is the placebo effect?
tendency of control groups to react to believed treatment in a positive manner
What is the double-blind experiment?
Neither the subjects nor admin in an experiment know which group is receiving the treatment
According to lecture, what is the experiment model as a research design also known as?
the gold standard
What are research designs?
means of controlling for invalidity in research through experimental design
What are the three general types of experimental designs?
- true experimental- random assignment to treatment and control groups
- quasi-experimental- no random assignment (may use matching for group equivalence)
- pre experimental- no group equivalence
What is the classic experimental design?
serves as a prototype for all other research designs and contains
1. equivalence (randomization)
2. protests and posttests
3. experimental and control groups
What is matching?
assumes equivalence by selecting subjects on the basis of matching certain characteristics such as age, sex, and race
What is the community policing?
strategies that attempt to get the police closer to the community
What is the Kansas City Gun Experiment?
officers were trying to find guns in Kansas City and arrested those carrying concealed weapons; gun crime in the target beat decreased and guns seized increased; decline in homicides in target area
What is the posttest-only control group design?
an experimental design that uses random assignment, and an experimental and control group, but does not use a pretest
What is the Solomon four-group design?
combines the classic experimental design with the posttest-only design
What are preexperimental designs?
research designs that lack one or two of the three major elements of experimental designs
What is dualistic fallacy?
the assumption that prisoners and the general population are mutually exclusive groups
What are time-series designs?
Measurement of a single variable at successive points in time
What are counterbalanced designs?
intended to manage or control the problem of multiple-treatment inference in which X1 refers to one treatment, X2, a second, etc.
When the prison population was increasing in the 1980s, what kinds of intermediate sanctions became popular?
electronic monitoring, intensive probation, and shock incarceration
What is the Minneapolis Domestic Violence Experiment?
A test of the effects of arrest crimes; officers either told to arrest a suspect, separate/remove the suspect from the scene for eight hours, or advice and mediate
