In: Psychology
Social Psychology
What are the differences between experimental research and non-experimental research? Give an example of each.
The main difference between experimental and non-experimental research is that in case of the former, an attempt is made to establish a causality, that is, to find if two or more variables have a cause and effect relationship. On the other hand, the goal of a non-experimental study is to interpret, observe or find interactions among one or more variables.
Another difference is that in an experiment, the researcher has a high degree of control over the variables (including those that are not directly being studied but can affect the relationship of interest). However in case of non experimental designs, the researcher can not manipulate the predictor variables.
The final difference is that while the results of an experimental research is more reliable, the results of non-experimental research is more externally valid (that is, it is more generalisable).
Example of experimental research: To find if practising yoga for 15 minutes a day improves performance in Maths among high school students.
Example of non-experimental research: To find the attitudes of high school students about the practice of yoga.