Research Design
How to do a research project!
Research designs can be very simple:
Or…. quite
complicated!
Or… something in between!
A good design will
not compensate for
bad fundamentals!
Research Design
A formal written set of
specifications
and procedures for
There are many ways to set up a
Research Design
So we will look at a
generic plan.
Research Design
A formal written set of
specifications
and procedures for
Conducting
and
Controlling
a business research project
DESIGN controls for:
Time
DESIGN controls for:
Time
Money
DESIGN controls for:
Time
Money
People
A good DESIGN ensures:
1.The study will be relevant
2.That is will use economic procedures
Problem:
The Law of the Instrument
Types of Designs
1.Exploratory
Research to gain insight and ideas…
It is for understanding…
not for analysis
Types of Designs
1.Exploratory
Flexible… good for:
a. Diagnosing a situation
b. Screening alternatives
c. Increase research’s familiarity with problem
d. Discovery of new ideas
Types of Designs
Be careful:
Gas lights:
Types of Designs
Be careful:
IBM study
in 1947:
“On a humorous note, the principal
designer of the Mark I, Howard
Aiken of Harvard, estimated in
1947 that six electronic digital
computers would be sufficient to
satisfy the computing needs of the
entire United States. IBM had
commissioned this study to
determine whether it should bother
developing this new invention into
one of its standard products (up
until then computers were one-of-akind items built by special
arrangement). Aiken's prediction
wasn't actually so bad as there
were very few institutions
(principally, the government and
military) that could afford the cost of
what was called a computer in
1947.
Types of Designs
1.Exploratory
Flexible… good for:
a. Diagnosing a situation
b. Screening alternatives
c. Increase research’s familiarity with problem
d. Discovery of new ideas
e. Gathering background info
Types of Designs
1.Exploratory
Methods:
a. Situational analysis
Type of Designs
1.Exploratory
Methods:
a. Situational analysis
b.Expert Opinion survey
Types of Designs
1.Exploratory
Methods:
a. Situational analysis
b. Expert opinion survey
c. Literature search
d. Pilot study
e. Focus groups
Types of Designs
1.Exploratory
2.Descriptive
a. To describe characteristics of
a sample
Type of Designs
1.Exploratory
2.Descriptive
a. To describe characteristics of
a sample
b. To estimate proportions
Type of Designs
1.Exploratory
2.Descriptive
Cross-Sectional
Types of Designs
1.Exploratory
2.Descriptive
Longitudinal
http://www.people-press.org/2013/01/31/trust-in-government-interactive/
Types of Designs
1.Exploratory
2.Descriptive
Longitudinal
Omnibus
Types of Designs
1.Exploratory
2.Descriptive
Longitudinal
Panels
Types of Designs
1.Exploratory
2.Descriptive
Longitudinal
Panels
Problems:
Lack of representation
They become experts
Type of Designs
1.Exploratory
2.Descriptive
3.Associational
What goes with what?
S&P 500
Types of Designs
1.Exploratory
2.Descriptive
3.Associational
4.Casual
(Experiments)
Types of Designs
Casual
(Experiments)
Concept of Causality
• Concomitant variation
• Time order (casual order)
• Elimination of alternative explanations
Types of Designs
Casual
(Experiments)
Key is:
Control
Types of Designs
Casual
(Experiments)
Terms:
Types of Designs
Casual
(Experiments)
Terms:
Variable
Types of Designs
Casual
(Experiments)
Terms:
Constant
Types of Designs
Casual
(Experiments)
Terms:
IV
Independent Variable: treatment
exogenous
Types of Designs
Casual
(Experiments)
Terms:
DV
Dependent Variable: measurement
endogenous
Types of Designs
Casual
(Experiments)
Terms:
Secondary Variables
Something to be controlled that
could cause the DV to change…
Extraneous
Types of Designs
Casual
(Experiments)
Terms:
Secondary Variables
•
•
•
•
•
Eliminate them
Make them constant
Turn them into IVs
Randomization
Statistical control
Types of Designs
Casual
(Experiments)
Terms:
Field Experiment
Split-plot
Types of Designs
Casual
(Experiments)
Terms:
Laboratory Experiment
Validity Issues
Validity Issues
Internal Validity
The effect is due to IV
and
Not to other variables
Validity Issues
External Validity
The effect can be
generalized
To the real world
Validity Issues
Internal Validity
1. History (Retroactive)
2. Proactive History
3. Maturation
4. Testing Effects
Pre-testing… Post-testing… Interactive effects
Reactive measures
Validity Issues
Internal Validity
1. History (Retroactive)
2. Proactive History
3. Maturation
4. Testing Effects
5. Experimental Mortality
Validity Issues
Internal Validity
1. History (Retroactive)
2. Proactive History
3. Maturation
4. Testing Effects
5. Experimental Mortality
6. Bias
Selection… Interpretation… Etc.
Validity Issues
Internal Validity
1. History (Retroactive)
2. Proactive History
3. Maturation
4. Testing Effects
5. Experimental Mortality
6. Bias
7. Statistical Regression
A highly unlikely event is… highly unlikely!
Genetics
Is this statistical regression… or something else?
Validity Issues
Internal Validity
1. History (Retroactive)
2. Proactive History
3. Maturation
4. Testing Effects
5. Experimental Mortality
6. Bias
7. Statistical Regression
8. Instrumentation
9. Luck
Validity Issues
External Validity
1. Hawthorne Effect
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawthorne_effect
Validity Issues
External Validity
1. Hawthorne Effect
2. Demand Effects
http://allpsych.com/researchmethods/experimentalvalidity.html
Validity Issues
External Validity
1. Hawthorne Effect
2. Demand Effects
Validity Issues
External Validity
1. Hawthorne Effect
2. Demand Effects
3. Selection Bias
Why?
Why?
Rasmussen used “likely voters