MCS 3030 Chapter Notes - Chapter 7: Covariance

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Marketing and Consumer Studies
• Course: MCS 3030
• Professor: Tanya Mark

Document Summary

Research designs are typically constructed to address or eliminate threats to internal validity. Internal validity: the approx. truth about inferences regarding cause-and-effect or causal relationships. For studies that assess the effects of social programs or interventions, internal validity is probably the primary consideration. The key question of internal validity is whether observed changes can be attributed to your programs or intervention (the cause) and not to other possible causes (an alternative explanation for the outcome) Single-group threats: criticisms that apply when you are studying a single group that receives your program. Multiple-group threats: when you have several groups in your study. 3 criteria required before you can say you have a causal relationship. Have to show that your cause happened before your effect. Before you can show that you have a cause & effect relationship, you have to show that you have a relationship at all. If more of the program, than more of the outcome.