In quasi-experimental designs, the researcher does not have experimental control over the independent variable and does not randomly assign participants to conditions. This results in which of the following?
A)The researcher being unable to rule out any threats to internal validity
B)A study that is no different than a correlational design
C)A weaker causal claim than a true experiment
D)An unethical study

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Quasi-experimental designs have weaker causal claims than true experiments because the researcher has less control over the independent variable and cannot randomly assign participants to conditions. While the researcher can attempt to control extraneous variables and make causal inferences, the lack of experimental control and randomization makes these claims weaker.

In Quasi-Experimental Designs, the Researcher Does Not Have Experimental Control