Non-Experimental vs Experimental Flashcards
What is non-experimental?
- Does NOT manipulate any variables (participants choose their own groups!)
- Simply measure behavior as it occurs
- Typically use correlations to analyze the data; still very possible to use t-tests
- Measure ALL levels of each variable, since we can’t make causal relationships
What is correlation method?
two variables are observed to determine whether there is a relationship between them
What are some downfalls by using non-experimental method?
- We don’t know the direction of the relationship
i. We can’t say which came first (the chicken or the egg) - We don’t know if a third variable is influencing the outcome
a. Wealthier people tend to go to the gym – is this because they are more health conscious or can simply afford the membership dues?
b. Perhaps wealthier people are more confident which makes them more likely to go work out
What is the experimental method?
one variable is manipulated, while another variable is observed and measured. To establish a cause and effect relationship between the two variables, an experiment attempts to control all other variable to prevent them from influencing the results
What is the experimental control?
we try to control third variable (extraneous variable) by controlling all other variables such as time of day, stress levels, etc.
What are confounding variables?
i. Confounding variable = a variable you will try to control because you are aware of a difference…you saw this coming (sex) so you try to eliminate it
What is an extraneous variable?
Extraneous Variable? the little things that happen to individual people that you could never really control
What are the difference between extraneous variable vs confounding variable?
An extraneous variable is any variable that you’re not investigating that can potentially affect the dependent variable of your research study.
A confounding variable is a type of extraneous variable that not only affects the dependent variable, but is also related to the independent variable.
What are the two groups in experimental research?
Experimental vs. Control
What is randomization?
random assignment strives to keep groups as equal as possible
What is participant variable?
These extraneous variables are related to the individual characteristics of each study participant that may impact how they respond. These factors can include background differences, mood, anxiety, intelligence, awareness, and other characteristics that are unique to each person.
What are environmental variables?
What type of environments the person is in
What are two different types of hypothesis?
Correlational
Comparison Group
What is a correlation hypothesis?
Correlational hypothesis for miles commuted and reported levels of belongingness (ratio IV with ratio DV) – As miles commuted increase, levels of reported belongingness will decrease (negative correlation)
Correlational hypothesis for number of clubs attending and reported levels of belongingness (ratio IV with ratio DV) As the number of clubs attended increases, reported levels of belongingness will increase as well. (positive correlation)
What are comparison groups hypotheses?
C. Comparison group hypothesis (t-test) for commuters/non commuters and reported levels of belongingness (nominal IV and ratio DV) Commuters, as compared with non-commuters, will reported lower levels of belongingness.
D. Comparison group hypotheses with clubs/no clubs and reported levels of belongingness (nominal IV and ratio DV) Students actively involved in clubs, as compared with those who do not participate in clubs, will reported higher levels of belongingness.
