Based on your understanding of research designs, diagnose why the researcher's classification of this study as an experiment is incorrect. How does this setup comprehend the observational design structure used in Stanley Milgram’s original obedience study?
Case context: A student researcher is investigating compliance with safety guidelines. The researcher positions a static warning sign outside a laboratory door and records whether each student entering wears safety goggles. The researcher does not change the sign, use multiple conditions, or manipulate any variables; all students encounter the exact same setup. The researcher calls this an experiment because they are measuring the effect of the sign on student behavior.
Question: Based on your understanding of research designs, diagnose why the researcher's classification of this study as an experiment is incorrect. How does this setup comprehend the observational design structure used in Stanley Milgram’s original obedience study?
Sample answer: The researcher is incorrect to classify this as an experiment because there is no manipulation of an independent variable across different conditions. Like Stanley Milgram's original obedience study, this design is observational because all participants perform the same task (encountering the same door and sign) under identical conditions, and the researcher simply measures their behavioral compliance without introducing experimental groups.
Key points:
- Identifies the lack of a manipulated independent variable as the reason the study is not an experiment.
- Explains that both studies observe participants under a single, identical set of conditions.
- Classifies the design correctly as observational research based on measuring behavior under constant conditions.
Rubric: A complete response must correctly identify that the researcher's design lacks the manipulation of an independent variable needed for an experiment. It must also explain the comprehension link to Milgram's study: both involve observing behavior under a single, identical set of conditions rather than comparing different conditions.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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