Exam 6: Causation and Experimentation

True experiments are the most powerful design for testing causal hypotheses.

Experimental research provides the most powerful design for testing

An explanation that identifies the concrete, individual sequence of events, thoughts or actions, resulting in a particular outcome is a

When using a true experimental design to test a hypothesis is not feasible, a researcher may use a

A relationship that exists between two variables that is not due to variation in a third variable is

When comparison group members become aware that they are being denied some advantage, they may increase efforts to compensate, creating a problem known as

In ex post facto control group designs, the groups are

A powerful way to ensure that the independent variable actually affected the dependent variable when using a before-and-after design is by

An idiographic causal explanation would be that the likelihood of committing violent crimes is higher for individuals who were abused as children.

When demonstrating a causal connection, it is helpful to be able to conclude that there is a truly discernable means of creating a connection, or mechanism, between the variables.

The Hawthorne effect is named after a famous experiment where workers became aware that others had been denied some advantage so they slowed their productivity as a result.

A true experiment has

A researcher determines whether an association exists between the independent and dependent variables in a true experiment because two or more groups differ in terms of their value on the

The group of subjects who are either exposed to a different treatment than the experimental group or who receive no treatment at all is the

Before-and-after designs are types of quasi-experimental designs.

An explanation that involves the belief that variation in an independent variable will be following by variation in the dependent variable is a

The groups in ex post facto designs are designated after the treatment has occurred.

The common feature of before-and-after quasi-experimental designs is

An explanation identifying the concrete individual sequence of events, thoughts or actions that resulted in a particular outcome for a particular individual is a nomothetic causal explanation.

Although it is not an optimal substitute for randomization, matching is sometimes used to equate experimental and comparison groups.