lecture 3 (1)

Question 1

Three ingredients to an experiment

Answer 1

Hypothesis: BI works better than the current benefits scheme in reducing poverty

Expectation: what shall we observe if the hypothesis is true (a consequence of the hypothesis as clarified by the operational definition)

observation: the act of observing/measuring the expected effect(s)

Question 2

Better can vary depending on the variables measured:
Individual level:

Answer 2

Re-integration into the labour market, uptake of more highly skilled jobs or better health

Society level: Less costs for the community overall

Question 3

Experiments provide

Answer 3

A structured way to make observations - that is, to collect data - and to compare those observations with what we would expect to observe if the hypothesis under investigation were true

Question 4

ecological validity

Answer 4

Representative of the world outside of the laboratory

Question 5

extraneous variables

Answer 5

Background conditions we cannot control: market growth, (religion, gender), etc.

Question 6

experiment definition

Answer 6

Experiments are controlled interventions that test hypotheses (conjectures) regarding the world/a specific situation

Experiments can come in many shapes, but they all share a similar structure

Experiments are not the only way to get evidence in science - but they can be a vary good one