Causal Comparative Research with example

Cause and Effect Relationship Research

Experimental research is designed for establishing causal relationships. It begins with a question concerning the relationship between two or more variables. Simultaneously, the researcher develops one or more hypotheses to state the nature of expected relationship. The experiment is the event planned and carried out by Then researcher tries to get evidence. The application of experimental method yielded better results in physical sciences. Therefore, this method was soon applied to other sciences like biological sciences and medicine.

In its simplest form, an experiment has three characteristics as follows:

1.An independent variable is manipulated.

2. All other variables except the independent variables are held constant.

3. The effect of manipulation of the independent variable on the dependent variable is observed.

Example

1. Study the effect of an advertising campaign on product sales.

2. Study the effect of presence and helpfulness of salespeople on sales of housewares

3. To examine the effect of different teaching methods upon achievement in reading, an investigator would manipulate method, the independent variable, by using different teaching methods in order to ascertain their effect upon achievement, the Dependent variable.

Three Characteristics Of Experimental Research

1. Control:

Control is the first essential ingredient of experimental method. The main purpose of ‘ control’ in an experiment is to arrange a situation in which the effect of variables can be measured, specifically to evaluate the effects of an independent variable.

A high degree of control is much easier to achieve in a physical sciences, such as in a laboratory setting.

In the laboratory, there are only a limited number of variables which can be manipulated easily.

2. Manipulation:

Manipulation of a variable is another distinguishing characteristic of experimental research. It refers to a deliberate operation performed by the researcher. In contrast to the descriptive research, in which the researcher simply observes conditions as they occur naturally, the researcher in the experimental research actually sets the stage for the occurrence of the factors whose performance is to be studied under conditions where all other factors are controlled or eliminated.

For example, if the researcher compares two methods of teaching, then the method of teaching is the independent variable and can be manipulated by the teacher. We may manipulate a single variable or a number of variables simultaneously.

3. Observation:

In experimentation, we are interested in the effect of the manipulation of the independent variable on a dependent variable. Reflexivity refers to circular relationships between cause and effect. A reflexive relationship is bidirectional with both the cause and the effect affecting one another in a relationship in which neither can be assigned as causes or effects. For example, poverty is the main cause of unemployment and unemployment is the main cause of poverty.

COMPARISION OF EDC (Exploratory, Descriptive and Causal)