LabExperimentation.pptVIP

Lab Experimentation Prof. Xiao-Ping Chen University of Washington Lab Experiment: the tradeoff Advantages Testing causal effects Allow for rigorous control to rule out alternative explanations Isolate the phenomenon, focus on key variables, and eliminate/ neutralize the influence of irrelevant extraneous variables Conducive to examine mediating processes Precision of measurement Study behavior itself instead of self-reports of behavior Lab experiment: the tradeoff Disadvantages Reactivity of the participant Limitations posed by ethics Human subjects committee Consent from participants Artificiality of environment Seldom suited to studying long-term effects Should I do a lab experiment? Depends on your research objective Parameter estimation research Hypothesis testing research Whether causal effect is of the primary interest Cover story and experimental context 1.????? Experimental realism is the key, mundane realism is a plus 2.????? Provide a believable context for introducing manipulations, experimental tasks, and dependent measures and must be credible throughout the experiment 3.????? Hide research hypotheses from the subjects (i.e., guard demand characteristics) 4.????? Try to reduce the reactivity of the participant (e.g., evaluation apprehension) Experimental manipulation 1. Construct validity is the key 2.?Investigate previous research to see how they did it and then use your creativity 3.?Use multiple operations/ methods if possible Team Cooperation Prisoner’s dilemma Your Partner’s Choice ? C D $7 $10 Your C $7 $2 Choice $2 $4 D $10 $4 Social Dilemma Mean Contribution of Other Members Your Contribution 0 1 2 3 … 10 0 10 11.67 13.33 15.0 … 26.67 1 9.33 11.0 12.67 14.33 … 26.0 2 8.67 10.33 12.0 13.67 … 25.33 3 8.0 9.67 11.33 13.0 … 24.67 … … … … … … … 10 3.33 5.0 6.67 8.33 … 20.0 Your Payoff = (10 –