Quasi Experiments, Small-N designs, and Field Studies Flashcards

Quantitative and vocabulary-based flashcards covering quasi-experimental methodologies, threats to internal validity, and small-sample research designs based on the PSY301 lecture materials.

Experimental designs

Research designs meant to support claims that one variable can cause another variable to change by manipulating independent variables and measuring dependent variables.

Quasi-experiment

A research design where researchers do not have full control over assignment to conditions, which may be determined by participants, nature, or other external forces.

Nonequivalent control group design

A quasi-experimental design where researchers select at least one group that received treatment and at least one that did not, measuring the dependent variable only once.

Nonequivalent control group pre-test/post-test design

A quasi-experimental design where researchers select at least one treatment group and one control group and measure the dependent variable at least twice.

Interrupted time-series design

A design where the dependent variable is measured repeatedly before, during, and after some intervention.

Interrupted time-series design (with nonequivalent control group)

A design where the dependent variable is measured repeatedly before, during, and after an intervention, and researchers include a selected control group.

Selection effects

A threat to internal validity that occurs when the types of participants in one condition are systematically different from those in another condition.

Wait-list design

A potential solution to selection effects where the control group consists of participants who will eventually receive the treatment.

History effects

A threat to internal validity that occurs when an external event not part of the study influences most or all people in the study.

Placebo effects

A threat to internal validity where improvement occurs after treatment simply due to the belief that improvement will occur.

Small-N design

A research design with a small number of participants where researchers typically gather a large amount of data on a few people.

Case study

A specific type of small-N design where the sample size is $n = 1$.

Multiple baseline design

A small-N design where researchers stagger the intervention across different times, situations, or individuals.

Reversal design

A small-N design where researchers provide multiple sessions of treatment to see if behavior returns to baseline when the treatment is removed.

Field study

A research study that takes place in a natural context rather than in an artificial laboratory setting.