INTRODUCTION

In this chapter, we consider one of the most deductive of all research techniques, the experiment. As a data collection technique, experimentation seems ultrascripted and not at all spontaneous. However, the elaborate laboratory environment that is prepared in advance in many experiments, and the rigorously practiced research roles assigned to those conducting the experiment, actually require a great deal of research imagination. In this case, the creativity is required at an early stage in research design, long before the research subjects appear in the laboratory to begin the experiment itself.

The idea of an experiment should not be foreign to most of us. We all use loose or incomplete forms of experimentation in our daily lives. Husbands and wives experiment with different ways of preparing food, noting their spouse's reaction to each modification of the prepared dish. Salespersons intent on finding the most persuasive pitch to use in selling a product may systematically test out a number of approaches until they find the one that works best. Teachers experiment with different formats for presenting course material, selecting one that allows students to learn the most. Vacationers in Las Vegas try out many systems at roulette or blackjack, hoping to find the one that will make them winners.