Advanced Experimental Approach

An experimental approach refers to a quantitative approach that is meant to find out the certain cause. One of the most descriptive characteristics of experimental research is that the quantity of one variable is altered with the intention of finding out the behavior of another variable. Hence, an experimental approach involves the process of changing the actual event or occurrence so that the behavior of the outcome can be accessed. In order to make sure that there is accuracy in the results obtained in the above case, a large number of the data sample is investigated. This helps in reducing the probability of distortion. It means that when a large sample size is used, the results obtained are more likely to be accurate. However, this does not guarantee the accuracy of the result. The group that is altered in an experiment or investigation is referred to as the treatment group On the other hand; the group that is not subjected to any kind of treatment is called the control group. The control group is not changed at all and it provides a mechanism for grading the group that is subjected to change. The control group is considered to have the normal outcome.

The experimental design is logical because of the various characters that define it. The independent variables are the ones that cause changes in the dependent variable. However, there are other variables that can influence the alteration of the dependent variable. They are called the extraneous variables.

For an experimental design to be successful, it is crucial to make sure that the extraneous variable remains constant over the entire experiment. One of the ways that the extraneous variable can be controlled is through random assignment. Additionally, the extraneous variables can be controlled by using a laboratory setting or environment to carry out an experiment (Mogilner, 2010).

There are several research designs available. They include laboratory experiments and filed experiments. Another research design is also known as the Quasi-experiment. The quasi-experiment environment is not controllable by the researcher (Kontopantelis et al., 2015). In most cases, the quasi-experiment designs involve comparing the already existing groups, where it is possible to assign participants to the various groups without consequences (Pearl, 2009). Additionally, the group is usually the unit being analyzed instead of an individual or one subject.

Several methods are available in the experimental approach design. One of these is the correlation method. This is a method that examines and analyses the natural occurrence of different variables. In most cases, the only observance is used to collect the result. The main advantage of a co-relational method is that it is easy to implement. Meta-analysis involves the combination and integration of two or more research designs.

In this case, the article being analyzed is "The pursuit of Happiness: Time, money and, Social connection." The article evaluates whether there is any change in the way people look at happiness when they are thinking about time rather than money. After the conduction of field and laboratory experiments, the results concluded that when people use the concept of time rather than money to gauge themselves, they end up happier than when they do the vice versa. They tend to spend more time with family and friends, and these two behaviors are associated with happiness (Mogilner, 2010).

In the article above, the dependent variable is happiness. The dependent variables are money and time. This is because they are the ones that are altered with an aim of finding out whether there is any change in the independent variable. The effect of the experiment carried out in the article is happiness. This is because it is the end result that is aimed at being achieved by the variables. On the other hand, money and time are the causes (Mogilner, 2010). They are referred to as the causes because they are the factors or variables with a probability of impacting or altering the effect, which is happiness in this case.

Experimental designs and Literature Review

In the experimental approach, the major things that have been learned include cause and effect, causal inference, and dependent and independent variables. The cause is the term used to refer to the reason why a variable is changing. Causes in experimental approach lead to different and specific happenings that are measurable in many cases. On the other hand, an effect is the end result of an experiment. The effect is normally brought about by the different variables which are referred to as the causes.

The dependent variable refers to the variable that changes or altered in course of the experiment or after the experiment. The changes in the dependent variable happen because of an alteration in another variable in the experiment that has an effect on the dependent variable (Achen, 2000). On the other hand, an independent variable is the element of the experiment that does not change or alter at all.

Causal inference can be referred to as the procedure through which a conclusion is drawn. The conclusion is about the connection between the cause discussed above and the effect. One issue was identified when it came to the experimental approach design was the problem of differentiating the association and causation (Pearl, 2009). It is a well-known fact that it is not possible to avoid assumptions in an experiment no matter how controlled it might be.

The knowledge base in psychology can be increased by the research conducted in this case through the determination of the reasons why the women of Hispanic origin have fewer jobs than the other women, especially white women. The issue of gender inequality at the workplace with a specific focus on Hispanic women is of great importance in the field of psychology. The area of psychology examines behavior in humans and non-humans. It helps in answering the question of why people act, behave and do things the way they do them (Coolican, 2017). In this case, studying about gender inequality and Hispanic women at the workplace will help me learn why men and women from that community behave and act the way they do in the workplace.

In general psychology, the study will inform me why the Hispanic population thinks women as a weak gender. In the specialization of general psychology, the topic explains the importance of feminism as a way of empowering women in the workplace as well as other areas of participation in the society. There also no past studies that have investigated the topic of gender inequality at the workplace with a specific focus on Hispanic women. Currently, there are no findings on the number of Hispanic women facing gender inequality at the workplace. Therefore, the current study will fill the gap in literature and knowledge realized in past research. It will also help in understanding the psychology behind the gender inequality with a special focus on Hispanic women.

References

Mogilner, C. (2010). The pursuit of happiness: Time, money, and social connection. Psychological Science, 21(9), 1348-1354.

Pearl, J. (2009). Causal inference in statistics: An overview. Statistics surveys, 3, 96-146.Kontopantelis, E., Doran, T., Springate, D. A., Buchan, I., & Reeves, D. (2015). Regression based quasi-experimental approach when randomisation is not an option: interrupted time series analysis. bmj, 350, h2750.

Barlow, D. H., Andrasik, F., & Hersen, M. (2007). Single case experimental designs. Allyn and Bacon.

Achen, C. H. (2000). Why lagged dependent variables can suppress the explanatory power of other independent variables. Ann Arbor, 1001(2000), 48106-1248.

Coolican, H. (2017). Research methods and statistics in psychology. Psychology Press.