Ninth Edition CoverGraziano & Raulin
Research Methods (9th edition)

Chapter 11 Essay Questions
Correlated-Groups and Single-Subject Designs

  1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of within-subjects designs?

  2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of matched-subjects designs?

  3. What are carry-over effects, and how do they affect the results in a within-subjects experiment? What methods might be used to control these carry-over effects?

  4. How is the within-subject design described in Chapter 11 different from the single-group, pretest-posttest design described in Chapter 10? What is it that makes the former design an experimental design, while the latter is a nonexperimental design?

  5. Explain how correlated-groups designs can be true experiments if they do not include random assignment.

  6. Explain how within-subjects designs can be more sensitive than between-subjects designs to the effects of the independent variable.

  7. Explain the logic of single-subject designs and how one might be able to test a causal hypothesis with a single participant. Describe three of the single-subject designs, and illustrate how each provides adequate control for most sources of confounding.

  8. As the teaching assistant in this course, you have to explain
    (a)   that within-subjects designs are experiments that are run on a single group of participants. Explain to your students how this statement can be reconciled with the requirement that in experiments the independent variable must be presented at more than one level;
    (b)    the particular strength of correlated-groups designs. Include a discussion of the controversy over whether correlated-groups designs are true experiments.
    (c)   whether ANOVA can be used to test a null hypothesis in a within-subjects design. If not, why not? If so, are there any special steps that must be taken? Explain this carefully so your students understand it.

  9. What is meant by the phrase “match only on relevant variables”? 

  10. What is a major advantage of matched-subjects designs over within-subjects designs?

  11. Controversy exists over whether correlated-groups designs are experiments. What are the arguments on this issue?

  12. Under what conditions are correlated-groups designs used?

  13. As the teaching assistant in this course, you have to explain the particular strength of correlated-groups designs.

  14. What is the essential feature of correlated-groups designs that distinguishes them from independent-groups designs?

  15. What are the two major types of correlated-groups design? What are the characteristics of each?

  16. Can ANOVA be used to test a null hypothesis in a within-subjects design? If not, why not? If so, are there any special steps that must be taken?

  17. What are the major advantages of within-subjects designs over between-subjects designs? Explain how these advantages occur.

  18.  What are the major disadvantages of within-subjects designs and how are they controlled?

  19. Under what conditions do we use single-subject designs?

  20. What is the major weakness of single-subject designs?

  21. What types of single-subject designs are there? Name and define each.

  22. Explain how we determine causality from single-subject designs.