Designing Experiments for the Social Sciences
How to Plan, Create, and Execute Research Using Experiments
Communication Research Methods | Quantitative/Statistical Research (General) | Research Methods
–Sarah El Sayed, University of Texas at Arlington
Designing Experiments for the Social Sciences: How to Plan, Create, and Execute Research Using Experiments is a practical, applied text for courses in experimental design. The text assumes that students have just a basic knowledge of the scientific method, and no statistics background is required. With its focus on how to effectively design experiments, rather than how to analyze them, the book concentrates on the stage where researchers are making decisions about procedural aspects of the experiment before interventions and treatments are given.
Renita Coleman walks readers step-by-step on how to plan and execute experiments from the beginning by discussing choosing and collecting a sample, creating the stimuli and questionnaire, doing a manipulation check or pre-test, analyzing the data, and understanding and interpreting the results. Guidelines for deciding which elements are best used in the creation of a particular kind of experiment are also given. This title offers rich pedagogy, ethical considerations, and examples pertinent to all social science disciplines.
Supplements
Password-protected Instructor Resources include the following:
- Editable, chapter-specific Microsoft® PowerPoint® slides offer you complete flexibility in easily creating a multimedia presentation for your course.
- Test banks provide a diverse range of pre-written options as well as the opportunity to edit any question and/or insert your own personalized questions to effectively assess students’ progress and understanding.
The open-access Student Study Site includes the following:
- Access to full-text SAGE journal articles that have been carefully selected to support and expand on the concepts presented in each chapter is included.
“This book offers many examples and hands-on instruction that can help students learn how to conduct experiments.”
“This book is a must for learning about the experimental design–from forming a research question to interpreting the results, this text covers it all.”
“This text provides students with an excellent explanation of experimental methodology: not just descriptions of elements of the experiment method, but understanding of where those elements came from, how and why they work together, and how students can become scholars.”
“This is a comprehensive text on experiments, clearly and engagingly written, with many excellent examples. Renita Coleman has included everything the student will need to develop, design, and execute a methodologically-sound experiment.”
“This textbook is detailed and well organized, with each topic progressing logically to build on foundational knowledge. Students will find it easy to master research concepts, and practice using the exercises and examples provided. The ‘Study Spotlight’ scenarios and practical examples are effective tools to demonstrate research designs, and the ‘Test Your Knowledge Quizzes’ reinforce student learning.”
“This book is well-written and readable. If you need to grasp concepts of experimental designs, this book guides you as to what the experimental designs are, and what you should keep in mind in conducting your studies.”
Helpful guide for teaching how to think through experimental design for marketing/business
As the title of the book indicates, this book presents very general information not specific to any particular discipline within the social sciences. As a specific target audience is lacking, the book does not provide an extensive coverage of any topic within the scope of research methods. The book cannot be used as a textbook for students of Psychology.
As the title of the book indicates, this book presents very general information not specific to any particular discipline within the social sciences. As a specific target audience is lacking, the book does not provide an extensive coverage of any topic within the scope of research methods. The book cannot be used as a textbook for students of Psychology.
