Describe the relationship between the general hierarchy of research designs and their actual internal validity in practice. What factors can cause an overlap in internal validity between different types of designs?
Question: Describe the relationship between the general hierarchy of research designs and their actual internal validity in practice. What factors can cause an overlap in internal validity between different types of designs?
Sample answer: While there is a general hierarchy where experiments typically have higher internal validity than quasi-experiments, there is overlap in practice based on execution. This overlap occurs because a poorly designed experiment with many confounding variables can actually have lower internal validity than a well-designed quasi-experiment that has no obvious confounding variables.
Key points:
- Identifies that there is a general hierarchy of internal validity among research designs.
- Acknowledges that there is overlap in internal validity between different designs.
- Explains that a poorly designed experiment can contain many confounding variables.
- Notes that a well-designed quasi-experiment might lack obvious confounding variables.
- Concludes that a poorly executed experiment's internal validity can therefore be lower than a well-executed quasi-experiment's.
Rubric: A full-credit response must state that there is a general hierarchy but acknowledge the overlap, and explain that poor design or the presence of confounding variables in an experiment can make its internal validity lower than a well-designed quasi-experiment.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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