Description
While there are many books available on statistical analysis of data from experiments, there is significantly less available on the design, development, and actual conduct of the experiments. Laboratory Experiments in the Social Sciences summarizes how to design and conduct scientifically sound experiments, be they from surveys, interviews, observations, or experimental methods. The book encompasses how to collect reliable data, the appropriate uses of different methods, and how to avoid or resolve common problems in experimental research. Case study examples illustrate how multiple methods can be used to answer the same research questions and what kinds of outcome would result from each methodology. Sound data begins with effective data collection. This book will assist students and professionals alike in sociology, marketing, political science, anthropology, economics, and psychology.- Provides a comprehensive summary of issues in social science experimentation, from ethics to design, management, and financing- Offers "how-to" explanations of the problems and challenges faced by everyone involved in social science experiments- Pays attention to both practical problems and to theoretical and philosophical arguments- Defines commonalities and distinctions within and among experimental situations across the social sciences
Table of Contents
Part I – Designing and Conducting Experiments1. Why Do Experiments?2. Ethics and Experiments3. Logical and Philosophical Foundations of Experimental Research in the Social Sciences4. Training Interviewers and Experimenters5. Human Participants in Laboratory Experiments in the Social Sciences6. Developing Your Experiment7. Common Problems and Solutions in ExperimentsPart II - Experiments Across the Social Sciences8. Laboratory Experiments in Sociology9. Experiments on Exchange Relations and Exchange Networks in Sociology10. Social Dilemma Experiments in Sociology, Psychology, Political Science and Economics11. Hypotheses, Operationalizations, and Manipulation Checks12. The Standardized Experimental Situation in Expectation States Research: Notes on History, Uses, and Special Features13. Experimental Political Science14. Voting and Agenda Setting in Political Science and Economics15. Economic Games for Social Scientists16. Solving Coordination Problems, Experimentally17. Experimental Studies of Media Stereotyping Effects18. Judgment and Decision-Making19. Experiments in Organizational BehaviorPart III - Applied Research and Proposals20. Conducting Applied Experimental Research21. Funding Experiments, Writing Proposals
