Experiment

Experiment is a methodical procedure carried out with the goal of verifying, falsifying, or establishing the validity of a hypothesis. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when a particular factor is manipulated.

Definition

An experiment is a procedure carried out to support, refute, or validate a hypothesis. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when a particular factor is manipulated. Experiments vary greatly in their goal and scale, but always rely on repeatable procedure and logical analysis of the results.

Types of Experiments

There are several types of experiments that can be conducted, including controlled experiments, field experiments, natural experiments, quasi-experiments, and thought experiments.

Controlled Experiments

In a controlled experiment, an experiment is a controlled method of scientific investigation in which at least two situations (referred to as treatments) are compared to each other.

Field Experiments

A field experiment applies the scientific method to experimentally examine an intervention in the real world (or as many experimental economists like to say, naturally occurring environments) rather than in the laboratory.

Natural Experiments

A natural experiment also known as a quasi-experiment, is an empirical study in which the control and experimental variables are not artificially manipulated by researchers.

Quasi-Experiments

A quasi-experiment is an empirical interventional study used to estimate the causal impact of an intervention on target population without random assignment.

Thought Experiments

A thought experiment considers some hypothesis, theory, or principle for the purpose of thinking through its consequences.

See Also

• Scientific method
• Observational study
• Longitudinal study
• Cross-sectional study

Experiment Resources
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