Example of Practical or Ethical Constraints Requiring Non-Experimental Research: Hippocampus Damage
Studying whether damage to a person's hippocampus impairs the formation of long-term memory traces provides a clear example of when an experiment cannot be conducted due to practical or ethical constraints. Because it is highly unethical and impossible to intentionally manipulate the independent variable by inflicting brain damage on participants, researchers are forced to use non-experimental methods to observe the memory capabilities of individuals who have already suffered naturally occurring hippocampus damage.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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Example of Practical or Ethical Constraints Requiring Non-Experimental Research: Hippocampus Damage
Under what condition is a researcher required to use a non-experimental design to investigate a potential causal relationship?
In psychological research, certain barriers prevent researchers from using experimental methods even when investigating causal questions. Match each description with the concept that explains why or how a non-experimental design is used.
A researcher wants to study the long-term effects of heavy alcohol consumption during pregnancy on a child's cognitive development. Because it is unethical to deliberately assign pregnant women to drink alcohol for research purposes, the researcher must use a non-experimental design to compare children whose mothers chose to drink with those who did not.
A researcher is investigating whether long-term social isolation causes cognitive decline in the elderly. Arrange the steps of the researcher's analysis to determine why a non-experimental design must be used for this causal investigation.
When practical or ethical barriers prevent the manipulation of an independent variable, researchers must rely on the observation of pre-existing, naturally occurring differences.
In a scenario where a researcher wishes to study a causal relationship but finds that manipulating the independent variable is prohibited by ethical standards, what characterizes the resulting non-experimental approach?
In evaluating the design for a study on the long-term cognitive effects of witnessing domestic violence in childhood, a researcher concludes that a non-experimental design is the only viable option. This decision is based on the assessment that the _____ of the independent variable is prohibited by ethical standards, making a true experiment impossible.
Match each hypothetical research scenario with the appropriate methodological concept or constraint based on the conditions for non-experimental research.
A researcher is studying the potential causal relationship between localized brain damage and memory loss. Because they cannot ethically damage participants' brains, they must analyze this phenomenon by relying on the observation of _____ differences.
Evaluate the research scenario of investigating whether childhood lead exposure causes learning disabilities, and order the steps the researcher must take to justify and implement a non-experimental design.
Learn After
Why must researchers studying the effects of hippocampus damage on long-term memory rely on non-experimental methods?
To understand why researchers must use non-experimental methods to study hippocampus damage, match each research component with its corresponding role or definition in this specific ethical scenario.
Dr. Aris is planning a study to investigate if the hippocampus is essential for spatial memory. According to ethical standards in psychology research, Dr. Aris should utilize a non-experimental design that recruits individuals with pre-existing hippocampus damage rather than attempting to intentionally cause lesions in healthy volunteers.
A researcher wants to investigate whether the hippocampus is necessary for the formation of long-term memory. Arrange the steps of the research process in the correct logical order, accounting for the ethical and practical constraints inherent in studying brain damage.
In the example of hippocampus research, what specific action is a researcher unable to perform on the independent variable due to ethical and practical constraints?
Researchers investigating the role of the hippocampus in memory must use non-experimental methods because they cannot ethically or practically _____ the independent variable of brain damage.
When evaluating research designs for studying whether hippocampus damage impairs long-term memory formation, a researcher must reject a true experiment as unacceptable because intentionally inflicting brain damage on participants would violate _____ standards of psychological research.
A researcher wants to determine whether hippocampus damage impairs the formation of long-term memories. After reviewing ethical guidelines, she concludes that because random assignment to a 'hippocampus-damage' condition is impossible, no rigorous scientific investigation of this question can be conducted, and she abandons the study entirely.
The hippocampus damage example illustrates why certain studies cannot be conducted as true experiments. Match each research element to the distinct role it plays in explaining this constraint.
A research team wants to justify their choice of a non-experimental design to study hippocampus damage and long-term memory formation. Place the following evaluative steps in the order that best demonstrates a principled, well-reasoned design decision.
Recall and describe the specific practical and ethical constraints that prevent researchers from conducting a true experiment to determine whether damage to the hippocampus impairs long-term memory formation. How do researchers overcome these constraints?
Explain why Dr. Smith's research question prevents him from using a true experimental design. In your explanation, identify what design approach he must adopt instead and how this alternative design addresses the ethical challenges of studying brain damage.
Suppose you are designing a study to test whether a new cognitive training exercise can help patients with hippocampus damage form long-term memories. Apply the ethical and practical principles of non-experimental research to explain how you would select your participant sample.