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Quantitative Methods for Researchers

Quantitative Methods for Researchers. Paul Cairns paul.cairns@york.ac.uk. Your objectives. Pretty general! Landscape/area of experiments Research topic?. My objectives. Three pillars Experimental design Statistics Writing up Need all three for good research. Why do we do experiments?.

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Quantitative Methods for Researchers

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  1. Quantitative Methods forResearchers Paul Cairns paul.cairns@york.ac.uk

  2. Your objectives • Pretty general! • Landscape/area of experiments • Research topic?

  3. My objectives • Three pillars • Experimental design • Statistics • Writing up • Need all three for good research

  4. Why do we do experiments?

  5. Philosophy of experiments • Test theories • Isolate phenomena • Severely test

  6. Some consequences • Intrinsic value • Big is not always better • Narrow focus is essential

  7. Experimental argument • Belief: X causes Y • A reason for looking • Try: change X and measure Y • Analyse carefully • Produce evidence

  8. Statistical experiments • Natural variation • People, environment, stochastic • Systematic vs chance differences • No certainty

  9. Devising an experiment • Research question (disposable) • One sentence • May use jargon • Answer is “yes/no” but probably “maybe” • Question suggests how to answer it QUAN, Paul Cairns

  10. Devise a research question In groups of two or three, each have a go at a research question. Take turns to explain and be criticised. Be happy to be wrong/stupid. RQs are disposable. QUAN, Paul Cairns

  11. Experimental Design • Addresses question • Validity • Design => Data => Results

  12. Variables • Independent variable (IV, X) • Experimental conditions • Dependent variable (DV, Y) • quantitative • Confounding variables

  13. Validity • Construct –measuring DV • possible, meaningful? • Internal – addressing question • confounds • External - generalisability • Ecological - realism

  14. Fantasy abstract • Write an abstract for your experiment (150-250 words) specifying: • What the question is • [Why it is interesting/important] • What was done in the experiment • What IV and DV are • What significant results [would] show • What this means

  15. Reading • Hacking, Representing and Intervening • Cairns, Cox, Research Methods for HCI: chaps 1, 6, 10 • Harris, Designing and reporting experiments in psychology, 3rd edn

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