Your Name Psy 326 Research Design: Non-Experimental Vs. Expe ✓ Solved

Your Namepsy326research Designnon Experimental Vs Experimental Rese

Research Design: Non-experimental vs. Experimental Research Designs

Non-experimental designs are research approaches where the researcher observes variables without manipulation or intervention. Characteristics of non-experimental designs include:

• Observational: Researchers measure variables as they naturally occur.
• Cannot establish causality: Because variables are not manipulated, these designs cannot definitively determine cause-and-effect relationships.
• Include descriptive and correlational studies: These focus on understanding and describing phenomena or examining relationships between variables.

These designs are often used when manipulation is impractical or unethical.

Experimental designs are characterized by the intentional manipulation of independent variables to observe effects on dependent variables. Key characteristics include:

• Manipulation: Researchers actively alter independent variables.
• Random assignment: Participants are randomly allocated to different conditions to control for confounding variables.
• Ability to infer causality: These designs are primarily used to establish cause-and-effect relationships.

Categories of experimental designs include:

• True experimental designs: Employ random assignment to control groups, providing the strongest evidence for causality.
• Quasi-experimental designs: Lack random assignment but still manipulate variables; used when true experiments are not feasible.

Research Question

[Type your research question here. For example: "Does the type of therapy (independent variable) affect depression scores (dependent variable) among college students?"]

The Proposed Study

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explain how a specific intervention influences outcomes. This study aims to determine causality between variables.

Justification for Research Design

• The appropriate research design is: Experimental design, specifically a true experimental design, because it allows for the manipulation of the independent variable and assessment of its effect on the dependent variable.
• Reason 1: To establish causality between the intervention and outcomes.
• Reason 2: To control extraneous variables through randomization.
• Reason 3: To provide reliable evidence for potential application or policy change.

Proposed Methods

Sample

The target sample will consist of 100 college students. Participants will be selected based on specific inclusion criteria such as age range (18-25 years) and native language. Recruitment will occur through campus flyers and online advertisements at the university.

Procedure

The study will follow these steps:

1. Obtain ethical approval from the institutional review board.
2. Recruit participants and obtain informed consent.
3. Randomly assign participants into two groups: experimental and control.
4. Administer the intervention (e.g., a cognitive-behavioral therapy session) to the experimental group.
5. Administer a placebo or no intervention to the control group.
6. Measure outcomes using validated assessment tools at baseline and post-intervention.
7. Analyze data and interpret results.

Data Collection

Behavioral variables such as depression levels will be measured using standardized scales like the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Data will be recorded electronically and kept confidential.

Data Analysis

Statistical analysis will involve using independent samples t-tests to compare pre- and post-intervention scores between groups. Additional analyses, such as ANOVA or regression, may be conducted depending on data complexity and research questions.

References

• Newman, M. (2016). Research methods in psychology (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
• Field, A. (2013). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
• Cohen, J. (1988). The threshold for a significant p-value is pPsychological Bulletin, 102(3), 409–412.
• Shadish, W. R., Cook, T. D., & Campbell, D. T. (2002). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for generalized causal inference. Houghton Mifflin.
• Levin, K. A. (2006). Study design I: Cohort, cross-sectional, and case-control studies. Evidence-Based Dentistry, 7(1), 24-25.
• Kazdin, A. E. (2003). Research design in clinical psychology (4th ed.). Allyn & Bacon.
• Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2012). Nursing research: Generating and assessing evidence for nursing practice (9th ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
• Shapiro, D. (2017). Validity and reliability of research data. Research Methods Journal, 12(3), 112-119.
• Trochim, W. M. K. (2006). The research methods knowledge base (3rd ed.). Atomic Dog Publishing.
• Robson, C. (2011). Real world research (3rd ed.). Wiley.