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Experimental Method

The document discusses the experimental method used in social psychology research. It involves systematically changing independent variables and measuring their effects on dependent variables. Key aspects include experimental control, random assignment of participants to conditions, and manipulation of variables to determine causal effects on behavior.

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Anu Sharma
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51 views6 pages

Experimental Method

The document discusses the experimental method used in social psychology research. It involves systematically changing independent variables and measuring their effects on dependent variables. Key aspects include experimental control, random assignment of participants to conditions, and manipulation of variables to determine causal effects on behavior.

Uploaded by

Anu Sharma
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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33

Experimental Method
34
➜ In order to attain the goal of explanation, social psychologists
employ a method of research known as experimentation or
the experimental method.
➜ It is a method of research in which one or more factors
(the independent Variables) are systematically changed to
determine whether such variations affect one or more other
factors (dependent variables).
➜ The experimental method is the method of choice in most
social psychological research, because it allows the
experimenter to make causal inferences.
➜ Experimentation involves systematic intervention in the form
of manipulation of one or more variables, them
measurement of the effect of the treatment on one or more
other variables.
Basic Nature
The experimental method involves two key steps:-
1. The presence or strength of some variable believed to
affect an aspect of social behaviour or thought is
systematically changed and
2. The effects of such change are carefully measured.
• The factor systematically varied by the researcher is
known as independent variable, while the aspect
of behaviour studied is termed as dependent
variable.
• In an experiment, participants are randomly assigned
to
be exposed to contrasting levels of the independent
variable, and then the researcher measures their
behaviour to determine whether it does vary with
these changes in the independent variable.
36

Suppose that a social psychologist is interested in the question, Does exposure to violent video games will increase the
likelihood of people to act aggressively against others? Social psychologists have therefore brought television viewing
into the laboratory, where they control the amount of violence the children see. By exposing children to violent and
nonviolent programs, researchers can observe how the amount of violence affects behaviour. In this case, the
independent variable i.e. exposure to one or the another type of video game is systematically changed by the
researcher, and the observed aggressive acts is the dependent variable.
37
Experimentation: Key requirements
for its success
Every social-psychological experiment has two essential ingredients:-

➜ The first condition is experimental control, which involves ensuring that participants in
the different experimental conditions are exposed to the same environmental stimuli
with the exception of the independent variable.
➜ With good experimental control, there will be no uncontrolled environmental stimuli
that might account for differences in behaviour across the experimental conditions.
➜ The second condition involves random assignment of participants to experimental
conditions. This means that all participants in an experiment must have an equal chance
of being exposed to each level of the independent variable.
➜ If participants are not randomly assigned to each condition, it may later be impossible to
determine if differences in their behaviour stem from differences they brought with
them to the study, from the impact of the independent variable, or both.
38

“
In sum, experimentation is, in several
respects, the most powerful of social
psychology methods. It certainly isn’t
perfect. But in situations where it is
appropriate and is used with skill and
care, it can yield results that help us to
answer complex questions about social
behavior and social thought

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