A research methodology defines what the activity of research is, how to proceed, how to measure progress, and what constitutes success. AI methodology is a jumbled mess. Different methodologies define distinct schools which wage religious wars against each other. Methods are tools. Use them; don't let them use you. Don't fall for slogans that raise one above the others: ``AI research needs to be put on firm foundations;'' ``Philosophers just talk. AI is about hacking;'' ``You have to know what's computed before you ask how.'' To succeed at AI, you have to be good at technical methods and you have to be suspicious of them. For instance, you should be able to prove theorems and you should harbor doubts about whether theorems prove anything. Most good pieces of AI delicately balance several methodologies. For example, you must walk a fine line between too much theory, possibly irrelevant to any real problem, and voluminous implementation, which can represent an incoherent munging of ad-hoc solutions. You are constantly faced with research decisions that divide along a boundary between ``neat'' and ``scruffy.'' Should you take the time to formalize this problem to some extent (so that, for example, you can prove its intractability), or should you deal with it in its raw form, which ill-defined but closer to reality? Taking the former approach leads (when successful) to a clear, certain result that will usually be either boring or at least will not Address the Issues; the latter approach runs the risk of turning into a bunch of hacks. Any one piece of work, and any one person, should aim for a judicious balance, formalizing subproblems that seem to cry for it while keeping honest to the Big Picture. Some work is like science. You look at how people learn arithmetic, how the brain works, how kangaroos hop, and try to figure it out and make a testable theory. Some work is like engineering: you try to build a better problem solver or shape-from algorithm. Some work is like mathematics: you play with formalisms, try to understand their properties, hone them, prove things about them. Some work is example-driven, trying to explain specific phenomena. The best work combines all these and more. Methodologies are social. Read how other people attacked similar problems, and talk to people about how they proceeded in specific cases.
In a research study, the independent variable (treatment) is typically given to the experimental group, while the control group does not receive the treatment. This allows researchers to compare the effects of the treatment on the experimental group against the control group to determine its impact.
The most appropriate research method for establishing a cause-and-effect relationship is a randomized controlled trial. This experimental design involves randomly assigning participants to different groups, with one group receiving the treatment (cause) and another group serving as a control. By comparing the outcomes between the two groups, researchers can determine whether the treatment caused the observed effect.
Confounding variable.
A randomized controlled trial (RCT) is the most appropriate research method for investigating causal relationships. In an RCT, participants are randomly assigned to different groups, with one group receiving the treatment (independent variable) and the other acting as a control. This design allows researchers to establish causality by comparing the outcomes between the groups.
Control groups are more commonly used in quantitative research to compare outcomes with a standard or no treatment group. In qualitative research, control groups are not typically utilized since the focus is on exploring experiences, perspectives, and meanings rather than testing hypotheses with controlled variables. The emphasis is on in-depth understanding rather than statistical generalizability.
Martha Ann Carey has written: 'Focus group research' -- subject(s): Methodology, Focus groups, Social sciences, Research 'Essentials of focus groups' -- subject(s): Focus groups, Methodology, Qualitative research
The control group serves as a baseline for comparison with the experimental group. It does not receive the experimental treatment or intervention, allowing researchers to measure the effect of the treatment by comparing the results of the control group to those of the experimental group.
Francesca Colella has written: 'Focus group' -- subject(s): Focus groups, Methodology, Qualitative research
The null hypothesis is the default hypothesis. It is the hypothesis that there is no difference between the control group and the treatment group. The research hypothesis proposes that there is a significant difference between the control group and the treatment group.
The control is a group that is held constant and is not experimented with, The experimental group is the group that is experimented with
In a research study, the independent variable (treatment) is typically given to the experimental group, while the control group does not receive the treatment. This allows researchers to compare the effects of the treatment on the experimental group against the control group to determine its impact.
That group is called the experimental group, and it is used to test the effect of changing the specific factor that distinguishes it from the control group. By comparing the results of the experimental group with the control group, scientists can determine the impact of that particular factor on the outcome of the experiment.
experimental, even though it's not an experimental research
Control in a science experiment means it stays the same and you don't do anything to it.
The control group does not change in any way during the experiment. It serves as a baseline for comparison, as it is not exposed to the experimental treatment or intervention. This allows researchers to assess the effects of the treatment by comparing the results with the control group.
In an experimental design comparing two groups in which one group gets one treatment and another group gets a second treatment, the experimental group is the group with the "different" treatment. The control is the "usual" treatment; the experimental group gets the "new" treatment. Of course, things get complicated with more complicated "experiments."
A placebo is used in an experiment as a control. For example, when testing a new medication, experimenters will split the group in two- a control group and an experimental group. The experimental group receives the actual medication, while the control group receives a placebo (in this case, a sugar pill). The placebo will not have any actual effect on the person, but is meant to make sure people aren't making themselves believe that they are cured.