SOC221H5 Lecture 8: Experiments
Document Summary
Observe/measure introduce something new or manipulate conditions observing/measuring again. Establish causality: if you see something different you"ve found a variable that is effected by the independent variable, you"ve isolated causality. Why experiment: to demonstrate causation, establish causality (x causes a change in y, easiest method for meeting the three conditions of causality, temporal order, association, no alternative explanations. Types of experiments: differ in terms of their internal and external validity (page 119) Do you have a really good design so that you know that when you observe a change you"ve isolated causality and you"re measuring what you want to, internal: the design of the experiment itself. External validity: generalizability, if you had an experiment in a particular setting, would you find the same results in a different setting or environment, could you repeat results, context matters: laboratory experiment classic experiment": High degree of control over the setting (high internal validity can be.
