Chapter 7, Problem 1E

In addition to the key words, you should also be able to define the following terms:

Third-variable problem

Placebo

Directionality problem

Mundane realism

Confounding variable

Experimental realism

Random process

To determine

The meaning of the terms related to experimental research

Answer to Problem 1E

Solution:

The definition of all the terms is as follows:
Third variable problem: many a times it is observed that when two variables are studied and a relation of cause and effect is observed in them, there may actually be a third variable, that causes both the variables to change, and thus it appears to us that they are related. Though the actual cause of the change in both the variables is a third variable, this is not considered in the research.

Directionality problem: It is important to know what the cause is and what the effect is, merely getting a relation does not help. When there are two variables it is important to understand, which one is the stimulus and which one of them is the response. Setting the direction of research is important. When there is confusion with regards to the direction it is called directionality problem.

Confounding variable: Any extraneous variable in a research which is not controlled may start varying with the independent variable, and cause to affect the result, that is an extraneous variable if not controlled turns to be a confounding variable. Such a confounding variable that distorts the relation of dependent and independent variable in the research actually is a big threat to the internal validity of the research.

Random process: these are the processes that are time varying functions. Each time unit is assigned an outcome. This process can be used to find average over a period of time. The reason it is called random is because the evolution of the process is random, it is not deterministic.

Placebo: It is the effect observed when a group in the experiment is a given a dose that is not the treatment and causes not effect on the experimental units of this group. The reaction of all these units is observed, since they think that they have received the treatment. This effect is called Placebo effect, and the group that is assigned placebo is called placebo group of control group.

Mundane realism: This implies to the fact that up-to what extent the materials and the processes and the steps used in the research are similar to the real world events. This helps in the generalization of the research outcomes to the real world. It helps in measuring the external validity. It lets us know how close to reality the research is.

Experimental realism: It is the extent to which the situations created in the research are impactful on the participants. It mostly relates to psychology because it tells how participants feel during the experiment, does it match with the real-world experience and if yes, up to what extent does it match.

Explanation of Solution

Conclusion:

Thus by defining various terms related to experimental study, we get better insight of what an experimental study is, what problems are encountered in it, and what is like creating an environment that matches the real world, or a scenario that feels the same.