Experimental and QuasiExperimental Research

KNES 510 Research Methods in Kinesiology

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Experimental Research Tries to Establish Cause and Effect

Selection of a good theoretical framework Application of appropriate experimental design Use of correct statistical model and analysis Proper selection and control of independent variables Appropriate selection and measurement of dependent variables Correct interpretation of results

Three Criteria for Cause and Effect

1. The cause must precede

the effect in time 2. The cause and effect must be correlated with each other 3. The correlation between cause and effect cannot be explained by another variable
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Reviewing Important Terms

Independent variable Dependent variable Categorical variable-(age, sex=not controlled) Control variable-exclude Extraneous variable

Types of Validity
Internal validity External validity Trade-off between internal and external validity Series of experiments (studies)

Threats to Internal Validity

History-during Maturation Testing Instrumentation Statistical regression Selection bias

Threats to Internal Validity, contd

Experimental mortality Selection-maturation interaction Expectancy

Threats to External Validity

Reactive or interactive effects of testing Interaction of selection biases and treatment Reactive effects of experimental arrangements Multiple-treatment interference

Controlling Threats to Internal Validity

Randomization
Real randomization Matched pairs (but not matched groups) Randomizing treatments or counterbalancing

Placebos Blind setups Double-blind setups

Uncontrolled Threats to Internal Validity

Reactive effects of testing Instrumentation Experimental mortality

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Controlling Threats to External Validity

Selecting from larger population
Participants Treatments Situations

Ecological validity-emulates the real world?

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Types of Designs: Pre-experimental Designs (invalid)

One-shot studies T O One-group pretest-posttest O1 T O2 Statistical analysis? Dt Static group comparison (one shot w/2 groups) T O1 --------------Statistical analysis? It O2
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Types of Designs: True Experimental Designs

Randomized-groups design R T O1 Statistical analysis? It R O2 Extending the levelsrandomized-groups design R T1 O1 Statistical analysis? Ab R T2 O2 R O3
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Types of Designs: True Experimental Designs, contd

-1 interaction -2 main effects

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Types of Designs: True Experimental Designs, contd

A factorial design with a categorical factor (B) R A1 O1 B1 R A2 O2 R A3 O3 Statistical analysis? M ---------------------------R A1 O4 B2 R A2 O5 R A3 O6
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Types of Designs: True Experimental Designs

Pretest-posttest randomized-groups R O1 T O2 R O3 O4 Statistical analysis? MFA Extending the design on the RM factor R O1 T O2 T O3 Statistical analysis? MFA-RM R O4 O5 O6

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Types of Designs: True Experimental Designs, contd

Extending the pretest-posttest randomized groups design on both factors R O 1 T 1 O 2 T1 O 3 R O 4 T 2 O 5 T2 O 6 R O7 O8 O9 Statistical analysis? AN (covariate)

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Types of Designs: True Experimental Designs, contd

Solomon four-group designpurpose=pretest effects R O1 T O2 R O3 O4 R T O5 R O6 Statistical analysis (factorial ANOVA) No treatment Treatment Pretested O4 O2 Unpretested O6 O5
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Quasi-Experimental Designs: Time Series (slope)

D.T. Campbell and J.C. Stanley, Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for research. Copyright 1963 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Reprinted with permission.
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Quasi-Experimental Designs: Reversal (return to baseline)

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Quasi-Experimental Designs: Ex Post Facto (discriminate)

This is one of the pre-experimental designs, but with the treatment not under the control of the experimenter. T O1 ------------------ Statistical analysis? A O2

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Quasi-Experimental Designs: Switched Replication

Trials

Levels 1 2 3 4

1 O1 T O6 O11 O16

2 3 4 O2 O3 O4 O7 T O8 O9 O12 O13 T O14 O17 O18 O19 T

5 O5 O10 O15 O20

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Quasi-Experimental Designs: Single Participant

Identify participant and follow over time. Does the treatment produce the same effect each time? Are treatment effects cumulative, or does participant return to baseline? Does participants response become less variable over treatment times?

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Quasi-Experimental Designs: Single Participant, contd

Is participants magnitude of response sensitive to multiple treatment applications? Do varying intensities, frequencies, and lengths of treatment produce varying responses?

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Next Class
Chapter 15 Abstracts tonight Research Q? 3 intro paragraphs
1. Rationale 2. Lit summary 3. Empty space and purpose

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