Designing Experiments for the Social Sciences

Renita Coleman has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Florida, a master’s and Ph.D. in journalism from the University of Missouri.  Her research focuses on ethics, framing and agenda setting with a special focus on visual communication. She has studied the effects of photographs on ethical reasoning, the framing and attribution of responsibility in health news, and the moral development of journalists and public relations practitioners, among other topics. She has published more than 40 peer reviewed articles in academic journals including Journal of Communication, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, Journal of Mass Media Ethics, Journalism, and Journalism Studies. She has two co-authored books, “Image and Emotion In Voter Decisions: The Affect Agenda,” in 2015, and “The Moral Media: How Journalists Reason About Ethics” in 2005.  Before beginning her academic career, Coleman was a journalist at newspapers and magazines for 15 years. She was a reporter, editor, and designer at the Raleigh, N.C. News & Observer, the Sarasota FL Herald-Tribune, and the Orlando, FL Sentinel among other news organizations.  Coleman teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in ethics, lifestyle journalism, and experimental design.

"This book offers many examples and hands-on instruction that can help students learn how to conduct experiments."

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsAbout the Author1. Discovering Cause and EffectCausationExperiments Compared to Other MethodsBasic Criteria for ExperimentsElements of ExperimentsStarting a Study of Your Own2. Ethics and Famous Experiments in HistoryThe Scurvy StudiesThe Contributions of Charles PeirceRonald Fisher’s Plots and TeaB. F. Skinner: Small Samples, High TechStanley Milgram Shocks the WorldPhilip Zimbardo: Raising Consciences in a Stanford BasementConclusion3. Theory, Literature, and HypothesesThe Literature ReviewHypotheses and Research Questions4. Types of ExperimentsCampbell and Stanley’s Typology of ExperimentsQuasi ExperimentsNatural ExperimentsField Experiments5. Internal and External ValidityEcological and External ValidityGeneralizabilityCause and EffectLogical InferenceReplicationInternal Validity6. Factorial DesignsSingle-Factor DesignsFactorial DesignsHow Subjects Are Used in DesignsControl Groups7. Random AssignmentThe Purpose of Random AssignmentOperationalizing Random AssignmentReporting Random AssignmentBalanced and Unbalanced DesignsChecking That Random Assignment Was EffectiveBlocking, Matching, and Other StrategiesRandom Assignment of Other ThingsRandom Assignment Resistance8. Sampling and Effect SizesStudent SamplesAmazon’s Mechanical TurkOther Subject SourcesRecruitingIncentivesSample Size and Power9. Stimuli and Manipulation ChecksExamples of StimuliAdvice on Creating StimuliManipulation ChecksReporting the Stimuli and Manipulation Checks10. Instruments and MeasuresInstrumentsMeasurement Issues11. The Institutional Review Board and Conducting Ethical ExperimentsInstitutional Review BoardsEthical Issues in ExperimentsProtecting SubjectsResearcher IssuesPilot StudiesGlossaryIndex