Reading questions tutorial 2
General questions (use Harakeh and ter Bogt (2018) and search online for extra information)
1. What is an experimental study in social science?
Experimental studies are studies where researches introduce an intervention and study the
effects. In the study by Harakeh and ter Bogt (2018), the intervention was exposure to
rap/hip-hop lyrics reffering to substance use and the effect studies was cigarette smoking. In
experimental studies, subjects are often grouped by chance to a treatment group.
Not that many experimental studies in social sciences because it is complicated and
sometimes even unethical (e.g. cannot say which parents should divorce and which not).
2. What is the added value of an experimental study in relation to cross-sectional as well in
relation to longitudinal research?
The added value of an experimental study is that the effects of an intervention can be
studies under controlled circumstances. As the researcher determines who is and who is not
exposed to the intervention, experimental studies are less susceptible to confounding, in
contrast to observational studies.
Experimental studies have so much control about the whole situation that it can conclude
causality. For cross-sectional way more problematic, only have 1 time point.
For longitudinal research more guarantee that you can have causality but not as much as
experimental studies, you can control less in longitudinal research.
3. What is randomization (see for instance page 1821 and page 1822 in Harakeh & ter Bogt
(2018)?
In Harakeh & ter Bogt (2018), randomization is done by allocating participating students
randomly to one of the two rap/hip-hop conditions by drawing lots. Randomisation is
randomly allocating participants of an experiment to one of the treatment groups. In this
way, confounding effects become statistically unlikely.
4. Why is randomization important?
Prevents selection bias and insures against accidental bias. Really important for your causal
explanations to ruling out other explanations.
5. Discuss with your peer members an alternative experimental design to test the effect of
music on problem behavior. Use for instance the suggestion in the discussion section of
the paper by Harakeh and ter Bogt (2018).
When using Dutch participants, use Dutch music with lyrics about substance use.
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Combining information
1. How do the results by ter Bogt et al., (2021) complement to the earlier findings by Slater &
Henry (2013)? In other words, how do these results support the results by Slater & Henry
(2013)?
The results form Slater & Henry (2013) show that there are direct prospective effects of
General questions (use Harakeh and ter Bogt (2018) and search online for extra information)
1. What is an experimental study in social science?
Experimental studies are studies where researches introduce an intervention and study the
effects. In the study by Harakeh and ter Bogt (2018), the intervention was exposure to
rap/hip-hop lyrics reffering to substance use and the effect studies was cigarette smoking. In
experimental studies, subjects are often grouped by chance to a treatment group.
Not that many experimental studies in social sciences because it is complicated and
sometimes even unethical (e.g. cannot say which parents should divorce and which not).
2. What is the added value of an experimental study in relation to cross-sectional as well in
relation to longitudinal research?
The added value of an experimental study is that the effects of an intervention can be
studies under controlled circumstances. As the researcher determines who is and who is not
exposed to the intervention, experimental studies are less susceptible to confounding, in
contrast to observational studies.
Experimental studies have so much control about the whole situation that it can conclude
causality. For cross-sectional way more problematic, only have 1 time point.
For longitudinal research more guarantee that you can have causality but not as much as
experimental studies, you can control less in longitudinal research.
3. What is randomization (see for instance page 1821 and page 1822 in Harakeh & ter Bogt
(2018)?
In Harakeh & ter Bogt (2018), randomization is done by allocating participating students
randomly to one of the two rap/hip-hop conditions by drawing lots. Randomisation is
randomly allocating participants of an experiment to one of the treatment groups. In this
way, confounding effects become statistically unlikely.
4. Why is randomization important?
Prevents selection bias and insures against accidental bias. Really important for your causal
explanations to ruling out other explanations.
5. Discuss with your peer members an alternative experimental design to test the effect of
music on problem behavior. Use for instance the suggestion in the discussion section of
the paper by Harakeh and ter Bogt (2018).
When using Dutch participants, use Dutch music with lyrics about substance use.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Combining information
1. How do the results by ter Bogt et al., (2021) complement to the earlier findings by Slater &
Henry (2013)? In other words, how do these results support the results by Slater & Henry
(2013)?
The results form Slater & Henry (2013) show that there are direct prospective effects of
