Experimental Design

An experimental design lets you infer if a change in a dependent variable may be attributed solely to a change in an independent variable. Symbols of an experimental design:
O = measurement of a dependent variable X = manipulation, or change, of an independent variable R = random assignment of subjects to experimental and control groups E = experimental effect

Experimental Designs

Good When:
Research questions are stated explicitly You want to see how one variable x causes y

Experiment
We manipulate and control one or more independent variables and observe its effect on the variation in a dependent variable. You have direct control and manipulate at least one independent variable.

Common Concepts in Experiments

Treatment- level of intensity or form of independent variable The experiment tests the effects of the treatment such as two price levels for a product Tests Units- Sample units Extraneous variables- all other factors that effect dependent variables in addition to the treatments
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Experimental Design Specifies

All procedures and how to actually do the study Make random assignment of treatments to experimental units When to measure dependent variable How to control extraneous variables

How Valid Are Experiments?

An experiment is valid if:

the observed change in the dependent variable is, in fact, due to the independent variable (internal validity) if the results of the experiment apply to the real world outside the experimental setting (external validity)

Types of Experiments

Two broad classes:

Laboratory experiments: those in which the independent variable is manipulated and measures of the dependent variable are taken in a contrived, artificial setting for the purpose of controlling the many possible extraneous variables that may affect the dependent variable Field experiments: those in which the independent variables are manipulated and measurements of the dependent variable are made on test units in their natural setting

Experimental Research Used to Test

Effectiveness of new advertising or competitors advertising Effect of various prices on sales of a product Consumer acceptance of new products in trial and repeat-purchase levels Effect of different package designs on sales Whether event A causes event B
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Experimental Design Specifications

Experimental design specifies the treatments, test units, and extraneous variables. Describes procedures of how to conduct the experiment. States how to make random assignment of treatments to experimental units, when to measure the dependent variable, and how to control extraneous variables that can confound the influence of the treatment effect.
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Experimental Design Classifications

Pre-Experimental True Experimental Quasi-Experimental Statistical Experimental

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Pre-experimental Designs
Designs

in which participants are not assigned to groups randomly to control for extraneous factors. Experimenter has little control over to whom and when the treatment is administered and to whom and when the dependent variable is measured.

One-Shot Case Study One-Group Pre-Test/Post-Test Design Static-Group Comparison

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Pre-experimental Designs

One Shot Case Study

No random assignment or control group Little validity in establishing cause-effect relations Test units are self selected or arbitrarily selected by experimenter. No way to compare what happened when we presented the treatment with what happened when it was not presented.
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Pre-experimental Designs

One Group Pre-Test Design

O1 X O2

D = O2 - O1 Does not control for extraneous factors. No random assignment or control groups for comparison purposes. Can not generalize findings.
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Pre-experimental Designs

Static Group Comparison Design EG: X O1 CG: O2

D = O2 - O1
No randomization No way to ensure that groups were equivalent prior to the comparison Selection bias is major problem
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True Experimental Designs

Experimental designs in which an experimental group and a control group are used and participants in both groups are randomly selected and assigned to treatment conditions. Experimenter controls who gets exposed to treatments and when they get exposed.

Pre-Test/Post-Test Control Group Design Solomon Four-Group Design Post-Test-Only Control Group Design

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True Experimental Design

Pretest-Post test Control Group Design

EG: (R) O1 X O2 CG: (R) O3 O4
Interaction between testing effect and experimental treatment is a problem.

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True Experimental Design

Solomon four-group design

EG: (R) O1 X O2 CG: (R) O1 O2 EG: (R) X O2 CG: (R) O2
High on internal and external validity
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True Experimental Design

Post test-only control group EG: (R) CG: (R) X O2 O2

Uses the last two groups of the Solomon Design Very sensitive to selection bias and mortality since there is no before measurement High on internal and external validity

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Quasi-Experimental Designs

More realistic than true experimental designs, since the researcher does not have complete control over the when and to whom parts of the experiment and will often nonrandomly select group members. Time-Series Design Similar to the one-group pre-test/post-test design, but repeated measurements of an effect are taken both before and after the experimental treatment. Often used when data collection is performed through consumer panels.
O 1 O2 O3 O4 X O 5 O6 O7 O 8
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Experimental Group:

Statistical Experimental Designs

Designs

in which a series of experiments are conducted that permit extraneous variables to be statistically controlled The effects of a single treatment at different levels or multiple independent variables, such as price and package design, to be measured.

Completely Randomized Design Randomized Block Design Latin Square Design Factorial Design

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Completely Randomized Design

Involves randomly assigning treatments to group members to study the impact of a single variable, such as price, at multiple levels. Randomly assigning treatments to group members is the researchers effort to control all extraneous variables.
Experimental Group: R X1 O1 -------------------------------------------Experimental Group: R X2 O2 -------------------------------------------Experimental Group: R X3 O3

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Randomized Block Design

Particularly useful when small sample sizes are necessary. Randomly assigns treatment levels to experimental and control groups and requires as many blocks as treatment levels. Researchers identify an extraneous variable that seems to confound the studys results, such as store size in a pricing study, and block it. Test units are broken into similar groups or blocks according to an extraneous variable believed to impact the test units and the dependent variable. Put large stores in one block and small stores in a second block.

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Randomized Block Design

Block

Treatment Low Price High Price P1,P2

P5,P6

Large Stores
Small Stores

P3,P4
P6,P7

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Latin Square Design

Goal is to control or eliminate the effect of two extraneous variables than can cause problematic results. Attempts to systematically block in two directions by grouping test units according to two extraneous variables. Used in marketing to control for time, such as seasonal sales.

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Latin Square Design

Control for time using different prices at different times of the year in different groups of stores. Each price is used in each group of stores just once in each time period. You have as many blocks as treatments. Each treatment level occurs just once in each group.

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Latin Square Design

Experimental Groups teenager middle older
Period Winter Rainy Summer

$1.20 $1.30 $1.40

$1.30 $1.40 $1.20

$1.40 $1.20 $1.30

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Factorial Design

Looks at effects that the manipulation of at least two independent variables simultaneously at different levels has on the dependent variable. You can test many independent variables at the same time on the dependent variable. You can look at interaction patterns between independent variables or whether the variables operate independently to produce an effect. Do not use more than five independent variables.
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Factorial Designs

A 3X3 factorial design has two factors, each with three levels. It has a total of nine treatments. A 4X6X3 design has three factors. The first has four levels, the second has six levels, and the third has three levels. This design has 72 treatments. Latin square assumes no interaction between any blocking variables and no interaction between the treatment and blocking variables.
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Factorial Design Questions

Does factor A affect the dependent variable? (Main Effect) Does factor B affect the dependent variable? (Main Effect) Do factors A and B combine to affect the dependent variable? (Interaction Effect) Which levels of A and B produce the greatest influence on the dependent variable? Interaction occurs when the values of one factor differ with the values of another factor in the way they affect the dependent variable.
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Amount of Humor
Amount of Store Information Low Medium High No Humor A D G Medium Humor B E H High Humor C F I
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