HSCI 307 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Nomothetic, Design Of Experiments, Random Assignment

• School: Simon Fraser University
• Department: Health Sciences
• Course: HSCI 307
• Professor: Rochelle Tucker

Document Summary

Nomothetic explanations: nomothetic explanations involve attributes of cause and effect, expressed in terms of general laws and principles, quantitative, nomothetic explanation has to satisfy 3 criteria of causation, correlation, time order, non spuriousness. Idiographic explanations involve a rich description of a person or group and seek to explain the particular: qualitative. It is not meant to apply to persons or groups who were not part of the study. Longitudinal design(s: case study design, experimental design, where are experimental study designs used, many variables of interest are not subject to experimental manipulation. Ethical concerns prelude performing experiments: many phenomena of interest have long term, complex causes that cannot be stimulated in experiments. Even where applicable, experimental models do not get the perceptions and feelings of research subjects. Field experiments are conducted in real life surroundings. Easier to randomly assign research subject; therefore, enhanced internal validity. Experimental or treatment group: receives a treatment or manipulation of some kind.