Quasi-

Experimenta
l Research
PSY 105 Lecture 14
 Types of
Psychological
Research

Other Unique
Quasi-
Experiment Non-Experiment Research
Experiment
Designs

Between- Time-series
Correlational, Ex post facto,
subjects, Within- designs, Field
etc. etc.
subjects, etc. experiment, etc.
 Other Unique
True Experiments Quasi-Experiments Non-Experiments Research Designs
• Manipulation • Manipulation, lack control • Lack of manipulation or • Lack of manipulation or
• Control • No random assignment control control
• Random assignment • Causal inferences drawn but lack • Cannot draw any • Comparative research
• Typically used to certainty due to lack of random inferences about that looks at pre-existing
establish causal links assignment and manipulation / causation; mainly traits.
between variables control / both descriptive
• e.g., Ex post facto,
• e.g., Independent, • e.g., Time series designs, non- • e.g., Correlational developmental designs
within-subjects, mixed equivalent control design research, observational
designs research, archival
research
 What is an Experiment?

• A scientific procedure carried out to test a hypothesis, under

conditions constructed and controlled by a researcher

Scenario:
Regular consumption of potato chips increases general IQ.
 Goals of an Experiment

1. To measure a response
• The goal of experiments is to measure the response of an ‘effect
variable’ when the ‘cause variable’ is manipulated.

2. To infer causation
• Goal of experiments in psychology: to infer causation of a variable on
another variable. e.g., the effect of colour on memory

 The cause variable is called the independent variable (IV)

 The effect variable is called the dependent variable (DV)
 Quasi-Experimental Research
• Experiment = A scientific procedure carried out to test a hypothesis,
under conditions constructed and controlled by a researcher

• Goals of true experiments: (1) measure behavior; (2) infer causation

• “Quasi” = resembles, seeming, almost but not quite

Quasi-experimental research:
Cannot infer causation with confidence.
 Quasi-Experiments vs True Experiments
• Main characteristic: No random assignment (randomization)
• Why not?
• Impractical – e.g. Natural disaster
• Unethical – e.g. The effectiveness of a new medication for a life-
threatening illness (we can’t be giving a placebo to the control group)

• May also have lesser experimental control

• A note on manipulation
 Why Quasi-Experiments?
• There are times when we want to infer causation (with caution) but are
unable to meet all the conditions of a true experiment. Using quasi-
experiments to draw causal inferences is preferable to not experimenting
at all

• High cost of true experiments

 Types of Quasi-Experimental Designs

1. (various) Time series designs

2. Nonequivalent control-group design

3. Field experiment
 Time Series Designs
• Each participant is observed multiple times
• Performance is compared to their own prior performance, before and after
administration of IV (treatment)
A. Interrupted time series design
O1 - O2 - O3 - O4 – Treatment - O5 - O6 - O7 - O8

B. Reversal design (Equivalent Time Series design / A-B-A design)

O1 - O2 - Treatment - O3 - O4 - No Treatment - O5 - O6 - Treatment - O7 - O8
 Interrupted Time Series Design
O1 - O2 - O3 - O4 – Treatment - O5 - O6 - O7 - O8

• Effects of an intervention/treatment/quasi-IV are evaluated by

comparing outcome measures obtained at several time intervals before
and several time intervals after the intervention/treatment/quasi-IV
was introduced.

• e.g. Interventions in schools (changes in school policy), enactment of

new law
 Interrupted Time Series Design
O1 - O2 - O3 - O4 – Treatment - O5 - O6 - O7 - O8

• Advantage:
• Accounts for natural variability in behaviour, regression toward the mean
• Ability to see if the post-treatment change exceeds natural variability

• Disadvantages:
• Order effects
• Time-related factors (e.g., history, maturation)

• Can be improved by adding a comparison group – control for threats of history

and maturation = Replicated Interrupted Time-Series design
Interrupted Time Series Design
Reversal Design (Equivalent Time Series Design/A-B-A Design)

O1 - O2 - Treatment - O3 - O4 - No Treatment - O5 - O6 - Treatment - O7 - O8

• Alternating baseline condition and treatment condition

• Treatment is administered, then removed, and administered again, with

multiple observations before and after
• e.g., efficacy of psychotherapy/drug therapy
Reversal Design (Equivalent Time Series Design/A-B-A Design)

O1 - O2 - Treatment - O3 - O4 - No Treatment - O5 - O6 - Treatment - O7 - O8

• Advantage:
• Each participant serves as their own control

• Disadvantages:
• Potential ethical problems (withholding potential beneficial
treatment)
• Order effect
• Time-related factors
 Non-Equivalent Control Group Design

Treatment group : Pretest - IV – Posttest

Control group : Pretest - No IV – Posttest

• Responses of a treatment group and a control group are compared on measures collected at the
beginning and end of the study.
•
• Participants are made up of preexisting / self-selected groups
• E.g.,  Does the introduction of TurnItIn submission policy reduce plagiarism? Compare plagiarism rates of
students from two cohorts: with TurnItIn submission and without TurnItIn submission.

• Manipulation and control, but no random assignment

• Q: Would it be ok if pretest is not included in the design? What advantages would having a pretest
bring?
• Without pretest = Static Group Comparison design
 Non-Equivalent Control Group Design
• Advantages:
• Pretest tells us how similar groups are (in terms of the DV) at the
beginning of study, to compensate for lack of random assignment and
reduce selection threat

• Pretest can also help researcher identify potential confounding

variables (group differences in pretest results), measure them, and
carefully rule them out

• Disadvantage:
• Order effects
Non-Equivalent Control Group Design
 Field Experiment

An experiment conducted in a place that the participant/subject

perceive as natural environment (outside laboratory)

• Manipulation, limited/no control, no randomization

• e.g., Helping behaviour (bystander apathy), eating behaviour

 Field Experiments
• Advantages:
• More likely to reflect real life -> higher ecological validity
• Less likelihood of reactive measures/demand characteristics occurring

• Limitations:
• Lacks control over confounding variables e.g., individual differences
• Difficult to replicate
• Ethical considerations – informed consent, deception
 Strengths & Limitations of Quasi-Experiments

• Strengths:
• Higher external validity than true experiments
• Not highly controlled, closer to real world environments

• Ability to infer causation (albeit with caution) when randomization

and/or control is impractical / unethical
 Strengths & Limitations of Quasi-Experiments

• Limitations:
• Lower internal validity
• Selection threat - nonequivalent groups

• Lack of control over confounding variables -> inability to confidently

conclude cause-and-effect
Other Unique
Research
Designs:
Developmental
Designs
 Developmental Designs
• Used for developmental research – looking for differences/changes across the
passage of time

• Studies age-related effects/changes

A. Cross-Sectional Design
• Comparison of participants of different age groups at a single point in time

• Strengths: Efficient; cost-effective

• Weakness: Individual differences unaccounted for; cohort effects

 Developmental Designs

B. Longitudinal Design
• Studying the same group of participants across time

• Strengths: Individual differences accounted for

• Weaknesses: Participant attrition; secular trend; time-consuming;

potentially expensive
 Developmental Designs

C. Cross-Sequential / Cohort-Sequential Design

• Comparison of participants of different age groups across time
• Combines both longitudinal and cross-sectional designs -> overcomes
weaknesses of both designs

Cohort Age
A 20 25 30
B 25 30 35
C 30 35 40
D 35 40 45
Year of
measurement 2000 2005 2010
 True Experiments Quasi-Experiments Non-Experiments Other Unique
Research Designs

• Manipulation • Manipulation, lack control • Lack of manipulation • Lack of manipulation or

• Control • No random assignment or control control
• Random assignment • Causal inferences drawn but • Cannot draw any • Comparative research
• Typically used to lack certainty due to lack of inferences about that looks at pre-existing
establish causal links random assignment and causation; mainly traits.
between variables manipulation / control / both descriptive
• e.g., Ex post facto,
• e.g., Independent, • e.g., Time series designs, non- • e.g., Correlational developmental designs
within-subjects, mixed equivalent control design research,
designs observational
research, archival
research
 Types of
Psychological
Research

Other Unique
Quasi-
Experiment Non-Experiment Research
Experiment
Designs

Between- Time-series
Correlational, Ex post facto,
subjects, Within- designs, Field
etc. etc.
subjects, etc. experiment, etc.
 Lecture 14 Quiz

1. On a scale of 1 (“Nooooo!!!”) to 10 (“2 more years of this? Why, of

course!”) – rate your interest in this subject.
2. On a scale of 1 (“I’m clueless and I know nothing”) to 10 (“I drink
and I know things”) – rate your current knowledge of this subject.
3. I found _________ very helpful for me in understanding this
subject.
4. My lecturer can improve by ______.
5. What advice would you give to students taking this course in the
future?

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