Experimental Methods

Experimental research has come to occupy a central place in the social sciences as scholars have become more concerned about making valid causal inferences. The purpose of this class is to learn about the use of experiments in political science and related fields, develop an understanding of the experimental method (e.g., its strengths and weaknesses relative to other methodologies), and gain experience in designing experimental studies.

In this course, you will gain a broad understanding of the issues involved in the design and analysis of experiments. We will use a hands-on approach using the latest research in political science, psychology, economics, and general science.

Dates

This one week, the 17.5-hour course runs Monday-Friday, July 8-12, 2024. The course is scheduled for 9:00-12:30am.

Instructor

Alessandro Del Ponte, University of Alabama

Detailed Description

In this course, you will gain hands-on experience in understanding and designing various types of experiments: economic experiments, survey experiments, vignette experiments, field experiments, and natural experiments. As we examine each kind of experiment, we will study best design practices for experiments and discuss typical issues encountered by experimenters.

On the first day, you will learn about the philosophy of science behind experiments and the place of experiments in the scientist’s toolkit. You will also learn about what being an experimenter involves.

On day two, you will become an experimental participant and take part in economic experiments.

On day three, we will cover survey and vignette experiments.

On day four, we will look at field and natural experiments.

On the last day, we will examine applications of experiments to current global issues (e.g., climate change) and you will get to design your own experiment.

Prerequisites

There are no formal prerequisites. However, familiarity with some basic statistical concepts would be beneficial.

Requirements

Participants are expected to bring a WiFi-enabled laptop computer. Access to data, temporary licenses for the course software, and installation support will be provided by the Methods School.

Core Readings

Druckman, J. N., Greene, D. P., & Kuklinski, J. H. (Eds.). (2011). Cambridge Handbook of Experimental Political Science. Cambridge University Press.

Morton, R. B., & Williams, K. C. (2010). From Nature to the Lab. Experimental Political Science and the Study of Causality. Cambridge University Press.