Untitled

The purpose of an experiment is to investigate the relationship between two variables

Explanatory variabl

Response variable

Causes change in another

Affected variable

The different values are called treatments

An experimental unit is a single object or individual to be measured

Lurking variables

Can cloud a study

Random assignment

Subjects are assigned treatments randomly, all of the potential lurking variables are spread equally among the groups

Placebo

Treatment that cannot influence the response variable.

Blinding

He does not know who is receiving the active treatment(s) and who is receiving the placebo treatment

Experimental Design and Ethics

A double-blind experiment

Is one in which both the subjects and the researchers involved with the subjects are blinded

ETHICS

Researchers have a responsibility to verify that proper methods are being followed.

There are even laws in the federal code about the use of research data.

Institutional Review Boards (IRB)

All planned studies must be approved in advance by the IRB.