Experimental Research Methods I

Course Description

Experiments are considered to be the \"gold standard\" for establishing causal relationships in scientific research. However, there are several variations of experimental designs, with their unique strengths and limitations, as well as a variety of considerations the experimenter should address before, during and after the administration of experimental protocols. The primary purpose of this seminar is to prepare doctoral students to critique and conduct experiments in the organizational sciences. Specifically, this course is designed for doctoral students who intend to evaluate and conduct experiments (in laboratories and field samples) for publication in scholarly journals. Consistent with the above statements, the emphasis of this course will be on exploring: the logic of experimental design, multiple types of validity, and other issues that researchers encounter when applying related techniques. Generally speaking, this course is organized by general stages in experiment design: defining constructs (for the purpose of manipulation), designing and validating manipulations/interventions (and ensuring equivalence), and understanding and addressing common criticisms of experiments. Although the discussion of various analytical procedures is included in this course, the focus of the seminar will be on methodological issues, as opposed to statistical issues.

Code

MGMT 601

Credits

2

Subject

Management & Organizations