When asked to conduct an experiment for his Research Methods class, Santiago had 10 of his friends self-report on the frequency of their exposure to movie violence, as well as their typical level of aggression. Based on his results he concluded that watching violent movies causes people to be more aggressive. Santiago's teacher tells him that he has failed to conduct an experimental study. Why wouldn't this study be considered an experiment?
A) Santiago fails to establish covariation, which is a criterion for causation.
B) There is no control group.
C) Self-report measures are unreliable.
D) This study is unable to assess gender differences in aggression.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Santiago's study lacks a control group, which is essential in experimental designs to compare outcomes between those exposed to the experimental condition and those who are not. Without a control group, it's impossible to determine if the observed effects are due to the variable of interest (exposure to movie violence) or some other factor.

When Asked to Conduct an Experiment for His Research Methods