5-1 Short Paper- The Importance of Random Assignment

.docx

School

Southern New Hampshire University *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

510

Subject

Psychology

Date

Feb 20, 2024

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by ElderAtomApe37

The Importance of Random Assignment 1 5-1 Short Paper: The Importance of Random Assignment Kacey Boston Southern New Hampshire University PSY-510: Research Methods in Psych Dr. Darren Bush January 14, 2024

The Importance of Random Assignment 2 I understand that random assignment and its importance in research can be quite a difficult concept to grasp. Just like yourself, I'm sure many others find themselves wondering why this step is as crucial as it is if their study has a large enough sample size. However, I’d like to guide you through why it’s so important, no matter your sample size, and how you will be able to implement it in your own research. First, it's important to note that randomization assigns participants to different experimental conditions at random. This means that each participant has an equal opportunity to be assigned to any experimental conditions, which reduces any bias in the selection process (Rosnow & Rosenthal, 2013). But why is this crucial to the integrity of your research? Well, one of the biggest reasons for this is to make sure that our personal opinions don't sneak into how we choose which participants are placed amongst different sets of conditions. As researchers, this helps us maintain objectivity in our study, leaving less room for potential bias. On the other hand, random assignment evenly assigns participants to the different control groups, which can also minimize bias. It is through this even distribution that we’re able to balance our participants’ characteristics across all our groups with differing conditions. Also, we can safeguard the even distribution of characteristics that are both observable and unobservable, which all have power over the study's outcome and make our study more reliable. Lastly, randomization also allows us to use statistical tools to make sense of the data we collect in our study. This is important because the data we collect will be very specific to the characteristics of our participants. Even more importantly, we're then able to take that data, analyze it through statistical tools, and detect a true effect when it exists. However, it's important that we look at things as objectively as possible because we can't always account for all factors and explanations for our outcomes.

The Importance of Random Assignment 3 Some relationships between a proposed treatment and an observed outcome may have other explanations that we haven't accounted for (Rosnow & Rosenthal, 2013). Regardless, it's important that we use randomized assignment for all the reasons we've outlined, especially because it strengthens our study's outcome and reduces bias in the process. Now, I know you're also wondering how to apply randomization to research. For the first method, let's say you're handing out two different questionnaires to your participants, and you want to make sure the way these questionnaires are handed out is completely random. In this case, you'll want to group the two sets of questionnaires, with one that represents the treatment and one that represents the control in each pair. After that, there's a very simple solution to randomly assign them that we all have done at some point in our lives, which is to simply just flip a coin. Once you decide who gets the first questionnaire in the pair of two, the next person will get the second questionnaire. After that, you would rinse and repeat. As a second option for random assignment, let’s imagine that your participants need to be assigned to a treatment or control group, which again gives us two options to assign to. First, you'll want to make sure you have a full list of participants. In this case, you're going to assign your participants a number between 1-700. Next, you will create a list of random numbers, also known as a Random Number Table, which typically contains rows and columns of random 5-digit numbers. Then, you'll go through your table of random numbers and decide which you'll assign to the treatment group or the control group. Now that you have outlined your random numbers and their designated assignments, I want you to close your eyes and randomly point at the table. Once you open your eyes, you'll see which number you landed on, which will already have a pre- assignment to the treatment or control group. However, as previously mentioned, your random numbers are 5 digits, and your participant's numbers are no more than three digits. In this case,

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

Recommended textbooks for you

Ciccarelli: Psychology_5 (5th Edition)

Psychology

ISBN:9780134477961

Author:Saundra K. Ciccarelli, J. Noland White

Publisher:PEARSON

Cognitive Psychology

Psychology

ISBN:9781337408271

Author:Goldstein, E. Bruce.

Publisher:Cengage Learning,

Introduction to Psychology: Gateways to Mind and ...

Psychology

ISBN:9781337565691

Author:Dennis Coon, John O. Mitterer, Tanya S. Martini

Publisher:Cengage Learning

Psychology in Your Life (Second Edition)

Psychology

ISBN:9780393265156

Author:Sarah Grison, Michael Gazzaniga

Publisher:W. W. Norton & Company

Cognitive Psychology: Connecting Mind, Research a...

Psychology

ISBN:9781285763880

Author:E. Bruce Goldstein

Publisher:Cengage Learning

Theories of Personality (MindTap Course List)

Psychology

ISBN:9781305652958

Author:Duane P. Schultz, Sydney Ellen Schultz

Publisher:Cengage Learning

SEE MORE TEXTBOOKS

Recommended textbooks for you

Ciccarelli: Psychology_5 (5th Edition)
Psychology
ISBN:9780134477961
Author:Saundra K. Ciccarelli, J. Noland White
Publisher:PEARSON
Cognitive Psychology
Psychology
ISBN:9781337408271
Author:Goldstein, E. Bruce.
Publisher:Cengage Learning,
Introduction to Psychology: Gateways to Mind and ...
Psychology
ISBN:9781337565691
Author:Dennis Coon, John O. Mitterer, Tanya S. Martini
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Psychology in Your Life (Second Edition)
Psychology
ISBN:9780393265156
Author:Sarah Grison, Michael Gazzaniga
Publisher:W. W. Norton & Company
Cognitive Psychology: Connecting Mind, Research a...
Psychology
ISBN:9781285763880
Author:E. Bruce Goldstein
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Theories of Personality (MindTap Course List)
Psychology
ISBN:9781305652958
Author:Duane P. Schultz, Sydney Ellen Schultz
Publisher:Cengage Learning