Experimental Methods

Definition

Experimental methods are research techniques that involve manipulating variables to determine cause-and-effect relationships between them. Psychologists carefully design experiments to control for confounding factors.

Related terms

Independent Variable (IV): The variable manipulated by the researcher to see if it has an effect on another variable.

Dependent Variable (DV): The variable that is measured or observed as the outcome of the experiment and may be influenced by changes in the independent variable.

Control Group:

A group that does not receive any treatment or manipulation and serves as a baseline for comparison with experimental groups.