Quantitative Research Design

Are you
pondering
what I’m
pondering,
Pinky? I think so
Brain, …… but
how will we fit
the 3 pink
flamingos into
one pair of
capri pants?

Prof Leigh Biagio de Jager

© University of Pretoria, Department Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology
 Individual-based population-based
number of contacts
© University of Pretoria, Department Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology
 Study design
based on nature of
investigation

© University of Pretoria, Department Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology

Exposure = eg. treatment / rehabilitation / therapy

© University of Pretoria, Department Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology

Grimes & Schultz, 2002

© University of Pretoria, Department Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology
 Non-traditional

True experimental Descriptive Case study

Quasi-experimental Comparative Meta-analysis

Pre-experimental Survey

© University of Pretoria, Department Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology

 § Experimental designs differ
from other designs in one
aspect: the researcher has an
effect on the outcome
§ In non-experimental design,
the participants / phenomenon
Experimental is described / compared, but
design outcome is NOT influenced /
vs non- changed by researcher
experimental § By comparing measurement
tools or techniques, you are not
affecting / changing the
outcome. This is therefore an
eg. of a descriptive, non-
experimental design

© University of Pretoria, Department Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology

 Experimental
studies

Treatment /
To explore
Intervention /
Program
Study Outcome / impact
population / change
Cause

To explore
Effect

Non-
Experimental
studies
© University of Pretoria, Department Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology
 ž 1. the researcher observes a
phenomenon and attempts to
establish what caused it
— à non-experimental study
ž 2. The researcher (or
somebody else) introduces
Two ways the intervention that is
assumed to be the “cause” of
change, and waits until it has
produced the change
— à experimental study

© University of Pretoria, Department Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology

 ž There are three basic types of
experimental designs that
you may use. Each has its own
strengths and weaknesses :

Types of — Pre-experimental design

experimental
design — Quasi-experimental
design

— True-experimental design

© University of Pretoria, Department Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology

 § Pre-experimental designs are
so named because they follow
basic experimental steps but
fail to include a control group.

§ In other words, a single group

is often studied but no
Pre-experimental
comparison between an
design equivalent non-treatment group
is made.

§ There is also no randomization

© University of Pretoria, Department Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology

 ž This type of experimental design does
not include a control group.

ž A single group of participants is

studied, and there is no comparison
between a treatment group and a
control group.

Pre-experimental
design ž Examples of pre-experimental designs
include
— case studies (one group is given a
treatment and the results are
measured)
— pre-test/post-test studies (one
group is tested, given a treatment
and then retested).
© University of Pretoria, Department Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology
 § This type of experimental
Quasi- design does include a
experimental control group, but the design
does not include
design
randomization.

© University of Pretoria, Department Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology

 § Has the properties of both
experimental and non-
experimental studies
Quasi-
experimental
design § Part of study may be non-
experimental, and the other
part experimental

© University of Pretoria, Department Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology

 § Quasi designs do better than
pre-experimental studies in that
they employ a means to
compare groups.
Quasi-
experimental § They fall short, however on one
design very important aspect of the
experiment: randomization.

© University of Pretoria, Department Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology

 § A true experimental design
include both of the elements
that the pre-experimental
True designs and quasi-
experimental experimental designs lack
design on their own - control groups
and random assignment to
groups.

© University of Pretoria, Department Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology

 ž True experimental design makes up for
the shortcomings of the two designs
previously discussed.
ž They employ both a control group and a
means to measure the change that
occurs in both groups.

True ž In this sense, we attempt to control for all

confounding variables, or at least
experimental consider their impact, while attempting
design to determine if the treatment is what
truly caused the change.
ž The true experiment is often thought of
as the only research method that can
adequately measure the cause and effect
relationship.

© University of Pretoria, Department Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology

 THREE PILLARS OF
EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH

The foundation of controlled social science research

© University of Pretoria, Department Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology
3 pillars of experimental research

randomisation
manipulation

control

© University of Pretoria, Department Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology

 § focuses on the independent
variable
§ involves systematically varying
Manipulation measurement instrument,
treatment conditions, or
experimental stimuli
§ analogous to the "cause" in a
cause-effect relationship

© University of Pretoria, Department Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology

 § involves holding all factors
constant in an experiment, except
the ones under investigation
§ "confounding,“ "extraneous," or
Control "intervening“ variables must be
controlled
§ confounding variables can’t
always be prevented, but they can
be controlled

© University of Pretoria, Department Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology

 CONTROL GROUP

§ Researcher introduces control

of the experimental situation to
Control eliminate threats to validity,
using one or more controls

§ Placebo/control group
Comparison

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 BLINDING

§ Eliminate subjective bias by

observers and participants
Single: Participants do not
Control know treatment allocation
Double: neither the
participant nor the investigator
knows to which group the
participant is assigned

© University of Pretoria, Department Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology

 ž One of the biggest problems in
comparable designs (you compare two or
more groups) is a lack of certainty that the
different groups are in fact comparable in
every respect except the treatment
ž In a random design, the study population,
the experimental treatment or both are not
predetermined but randomly assigned
ž Random assignment means that any
individual has an equal and independent
Randomisation chance of becoming part of an
experimental or control group, or in case
of different treatment options to receive
any treatment.
ž Primary goal is to have comparable,
equalised groups to control extraneous
variables
ž Is one of the most effective methods of
controlling confounding variables
© University of Pretoria, Department Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology
Randomized control trial

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 Placebo effect
§ The psychological effect
on the recovery process of
Placebo effect a patient’s knowledge that
he/she is receiving the
treatment

© University of Pretoria, Department Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology

 Other research
designs

© University of Pretoria, Department Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology

 o limited sample size
§ hard to obtain large samples with
disordered or special populations
§ small samples result in low
statistical power when using
between group designs
Single subject § sometimes the sample consists of
only one or two clients
design
o need for extensive or
repeated observations
§ more time consuming to run
subjects individually
§ harder to do detailed, in-depth
observations

© University of Pretoria, Department Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology

 § Each subject serves as his/her own
treatment and control condition
§ The subject alternates between the
treatment and control conditions
§ changes in the subject’s
Single subject speech/language performance are
design compared across the various
treatment and control conditions
§ often, “longitudinal” or “time-series”
designs are used (employing ongoing
measurements at time 1, time 2, time
3, etc.)

© University of Pretoria, Department Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology

© University of Pretoria, Department Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology