Exploring the Logic of Experimental Design - Assignment Example

Experiments are conducted by carrying out research studies, which attempt to put together information that is pertinent to the aims of the experiment. According to Jackson, the accomplishment of an experiment’s purpose is determined by its design and the way it is executed. Formal experiments evaluate physical entities while other modes of experimentation involve carrying out studies that involve observation and statistical surveys. The design of an experiment determines the feasibility of the intended results to the subject of the experiment, which makes experimental design a crucial factor in all analytical work (Scott, 2010).

This paper seeks to highlight and explore the logic of experimental design, and how to apply them to create designs used in analytical research. Question #2 Experimental design is closely associated with methodology which are the steps taken to accomplish the task set out by the experimental design. An experiment is an inquiry into the intrinsic features of a subject, and it this inquiry requires a predetermined process of execution for it to serve its purpose (Jackson, 2012).The development or creation of an experiment stems from lack of information pertaining to the nature, function or purpose of an entity.

Thus, this uncertainty and lack of knowledge prompts activities that are geared towards establishing and information concerning the unknown. Methodologies are ways of carrying out these activities, and they give rise to experimental designs that ensure these activities are purposely oriented. All endeavors that are carried out by man in an effort to gather information about a subject can be considered experiments or studies. This is because the sole purpose of an experiment is to account for or discount the nature and existence of a phenomenon.

An experimental design accomplishes its purpose by ensuring that the methodology adhered to in an experiment is geared and oriented towards garnering the appropriate results in accordance to the research hypothesis. Research hypotheses are the questions that experiments seek to answer by confirming their assumptions or disapproving their postulates. Question #3 The major advantage of experimental designs is that when they are properly conducted, they have the ability to illustrate causality. This is achieved by the degree to which the experiment’s parameters manipulate exposure to independent variables and elimination of confounding variables.

For a study to qualify as a true experiment, the methodology should be designed in such a way as to exclude dependent variables (Scott, 2010). This is an aspect of experimental design that can be applied in educational studies to determine the cause and effect of both external and internal factors in an educational system. A disadvantage associated with experimental designs in an educational study is that they are difficult to design because they require a lot of human energy and resources. To effectively design an experiment focused on an educational system, it requires taking the behavior of the concerned parties, and in this case students, into the context of the experiment.

This raises some hard to answer questions based on the ethical and moral consideration of the experimental group (Trochim, 2008). Question #4 Experiments are conducted using independent and dependent variabl