Universität Wien

400009 SE Introduction to experimental methods (2023S)

Methods seminar

5.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 40 - Doktoratsstudium Sozialwissenschaften
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 15 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Tuesday 14.03. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 12, Währinger Straße 29 2.OG
  • Tuesday 21.03. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 12, Währinger Straße 29 2.OG
  • Tuesday 28.03. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 12, Währinger Straße 29 2.OG
  • Tuesday 18.04. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 12, Währinger Straße 29 2.OG
  • Tuesday 25.04. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 12, Währinger Straße 29 2.OG
  • Tuesday 02.05. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 12, Währinger Straße 29 2.OG
  • Tuesday 09.05. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 12, Währinger Straße 29 2.OG
  • Tuesday 16.05. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 12, Währinger Straße 29 2.OG
  • Tuesday 23.05. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 12, Währinger Straße 29 2.OG
  • Tuesday 06.06. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 12, Währinger Straße 29 2.OG
  • Tuesday 13.06. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 12, Währinger Straße 29 2.OG
  • Tuesday 20.06. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 12, Währinger Straße 29 2.OG
  • Tuesday 27.06. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 12, Währinger Straße 29 2.OG

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

The scientific experiment is a central way to advance knowledge in the empirical social sciences. By randomly assigning participants to experimental groups, experiments allow to make claims regarding causality. Hence, if our aim is to establish causal inferences, wherever possible it is recommended to conduct experiments.

In this course we will discuss the scientific experiment, how and when it can be used, what pitfalls to take into account, and how to interpret results. We will focus on statistical power, design of stimuli, and open science (preregistration, data sharing, etc). We will also focus on how best to analyze results.

We will explore these topics by reading and discussing texts, through inputs by me, short summaries of the texts presented by you, and hands-on analyses in R. Throughout, we will engage with your phd projects and your individual perspectives.

Each student will give a short summary of one of the papers we discuss. Everyone is expected to participate actively in the discussions.

In the hands-on part of the seminar, we will analyze actual data/experiments. We will use the software R. Although not needed, a basic understanding of R is recommended. If R is new, I recommend reading introductory texts or watching online tutorials. Here are some helpful materials:

- https://r4ds.had.co.nz
- https://github.com/jobreu/r-intro-gesis-2021 (Day 1 and 2)
- https://github.com/ccs-amsterdam/r-course-material
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvKETZ6kr9Q

Assessment and permitted materials

- Everyone participates actively in the course. Willingness and openness to take part in the discussion are a prerequisite.
- During the semester, everyone picks a text and gives a short presentation. The presentations need to be in English.
- Essay at the end, in which you present your phd project and an experiment you are planning to conduct. In case you are not actually planning to conduct an experiment, this will then be a hypothetical task. The essays are recommended to be in English. However, it is also possible to write an essay in German.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

- Active participation (25%; English)
- Presentation of text (25%; English)
- Essay (50%; English or German)

Examination topics

Participants need to follow all presentations and what is being discussed. Participants also need to read all texts and prepare for the course

Reading list

• Field, A. P., & Hole, G. (2003). How to design and report experiments. Sage publications Ltd.
• Gelman, A., Hill, J., & Vehtari, A. (2020). Regression and Other Stories (1st ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781139161879
• Klimmt, C., & Weber, R. (2013). Das Experiment in der Kommunikationswissenschaft. In W. Möhring & D. Schlütz (Eds.), Handbuch standardisierte Erhebungsverfahren in der Kommunikationswissenschaft (pp. 125–144). Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-531-18776-1_7
• Koch, T., Peter, C., & Müller, P. (2019). Das Experiment in der Kommunikations- und Medienwissenschaft: Grundlagen, Durchführung und Auswertung experimenteller Forschung. Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-19754-4

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Tu 14.03.2023 13:09