1. Summary
As a means to examine the effect of a new treatment proposed for agoraphobia or the fear of open places, a group of researchers forwarded an advertisement in the papers to recruit participants for the study. Out of the 87 individuals who responded, only 60 of them were considered as agoraphobic. The researchers placed 20 of the qualified participants under the new treatment setting (NEW), and it was further explained to them that they will be closely monitored for any possible side effects of the new treatment. On the other hand, another 20 of the participants were placed under the traditional condition (OLD), where they receive the usual form of treatment for the disorder. They were informed about the old form of treatment they will be receiving and the minimal likelihood of negative effects. Accordingly, the remaining 20 participants were not assigned any form of treatment (NO). The treatment lasted for six months, and the study revealed that the respondents under the NEW condition exhibited about 64% lesser symptoms of the disorder, while those who were placed under the OLD treatment showed a 42% reduction in their symptoms. Moreover, those who did not receive any form of treatment demonstrated 22% lesser symptoms than when they started the treatment six months earlier.
2. Independent Variable
An independent variable in a research is the element that can be changed or altered in the experiment. In some instances, researchers manipulate this variable in order to determine its impact on the dependent variable, the main idea of its use, though, is to evaluate its effect on another element in the study. In this specific research, the independent variables are the treatment conditions which are: the new treatment, traditional or old treatment and the absence of any treatment.
3. Dependent Variable
The dependent variable speaks of the element in the study that are measured in relation to the possible effect of the independent variable. It is referred to as dependent because it responds to the independent variable, that is, it may change in response to changes in the independent variable. In the study, the dependent variable is the exhibited symptoms of agoraphobia in response to the different modes of treatment.
4. Random assignment
The use of random assignment of participants in experiment calls for the need to randomly place the subjects in the different conditions. The process of random selection can be done by chance such as coin flipping or any other form of random procedure. In the experiment, the researchers randomly assigned the participants in the three conditions and this was an important aspect of the study because random assignment reduces the element of selection bias, which is a critical problem with most research designs (Slavin, 2007).
The principle of random assignment is the idea that the participants are selected by chance, so that all of them have a known and equal probability to be placed in any of the given conditions. With the use of random assignment, the researchers cannot determine in advance who among the participants will be placed under a specific treatment condition. This ensures that the result of the experiment can be attributed largely to the effect of the specific condition or treatment, and not to the other underlying element that is present within the group or participants at the start of the study.
5. Opinion About the Conclusion
According to the result of the study, the researchers found that the new treatment considerably reduces the symptoms of agoraphobia by more than 20% compared to the use of the old or traditional treatment. While the researchers were right in using the randomize assignment of the participants for each of the conditions, the randomization procedure was not stated. It could be possible that the research staff failed to follow the random assignment procedure and this can have an impact on the effect of the experiment.
Further, a factor that may explain the result of the study was that the participants were informed in advance about what the researchers are looking for, that is, the effect of the treatment conditions in reducing symptoms. While it is considered to be unethical to use deception in research, it should also be noted that psychological experiments are focused on the study of the mind and behavior. Thus, the participants in this study should not have been aware about the focus of the study because their awareness could have an impact on their behavioral outcome. Accordingly, if the participants altered their behavior as a means to suit the preferred outcome of the study, then the result of the experiment is not valid or questionable to say the least.
6. How the Experiment Must Have Been Designed
First, the researchers should have used a specific random assignment procedure and made sure that it was followed. Further, in order to generate a more valid result, the researchers must communicate with the participants to secure their full consent, though, the full disclosure of what is being tested should not be done to come up with valid results. What is important is that the full communication of how the study will be conducted.
References
Slavin, R. (2007). Randomized experimental designs. Educational research in an age of accountability. Retrieved from https://www.pearsonhighered.com/samplechapter/0205439829.pdf
