Quantitative Research Design Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Quantitative Research Design - Assignment Example The researcher states that quantitative research design is further divided into two categories. The first category is the descriptive type of quantitative research which establishes only associations between variables. The second category is experiment quantitative research which establishes causality. These two types of quantitative research designs can be further categorized into specific designs. In experimental design, a researcher does more than just observe the subjects. Under the time series, one or more measurements are taken on all subjects before and after a treatment. However, one major problem may arise in time series. As Hopkins explained, some changes that can be observed in the experiment might be due to other than treatment. He presented that subjects might do better in the second test because of their experience in the first test. To give the solution to this problem, a crossover design can be used. Two population samples are needed in this design. The first populati on actually receives the actual treatment while the other population of the sample remains a reference. Hopkins added, â€Å"If the treatment effect is unlikely to wash out between measurements, a control group has to be used. In these designs, all subjects are measured, but only some of them, the experiment group, then receive the treatment. All subjects are then measured again, and the change in the experimental group is compared with the change in the control group.† Under such circumstance, a laboratory experimental design is under controlled condition. The study conducted by Anderson is considered a laboratory experiment in which the experimental groups were actually told not by the actual objective of the study. The experiment design is a single-controlled trial because the subjects are considered blind. In this regard, the researcher might be able to control the conditions better which makes the experiment more reliable. More so, this experiment can be replicated and c an establish cause and effect relationship.