1.4 Experimentation

Experimentation

Research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process.

Evaluating Therapies

New drugs and treatments need to be evaluated to see if they truly work.

Regulations to Evaluate the Treatment

Several procedures to help the experiment be reliable.

Blind/Double Blind Procedure

Where either the experimenter or the participant (or both) do not know which group is receiving a placebo or the actual treatment.

Placebo

An inert substance assumed to be an active agent taken by a control group to test if results are caused by expectations.

Experimental Condition

Condition of an experiment that exposes participants to the treatment.

Control Condition

Contrasts the experimental condition and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of a treatment.

Random Assignment

Participants from a population are randomly assigned to a group (control or experimental)to minimize preexisting differences between groups.

Independent Variable

Experimental factor being manipulated.

Dependent Variable

Experimental factor being measured.

Example: Subliminal Tapes

Can Subliminal Tapes Improve Your Life? A stimulus too weak to recognize can affect us, briefly, under certain circumstances.

Effectiveness of Subliminal Tapes

The general public is unaware of the importance of controlled experiments