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(12.1). The following is an example of both a field study and an Internet experiment.

Journal Article 1: Parigi, P., Santana, J. J., & Cook, K. S. (2017). Online field experiments: Studying social interactions in context. Social Psychology Quarterly, 80, 1–19. doi:10.1177/0190272516680842

Abstract: Thanks to the Internet and the related availability of ‘‘Big Data,’’ social interactions and their environmental context can now be studied experimentally. In this article, we discuss a methodology that we term the online field experiment to differentiate it from more traditional lab based experimental designs. We explain how this experimental method can be used to capture theoretically relevant environmental conditions while also maximizing the researcher’s control over the treatment(s) of interest. We argue that this methodology is particularly well suited for social psychology because of its focus on social interactions and the factors that influence the nature and structure of these interactions. We provide one detailed example of an online field experiment used to investigate the impact of the sharing economy on trust behavior. We argue that we are fundamentally living in a new social world in which the Internet mediates a growing number of our social interactions. These highly prevalent forms of social interaction create opportunities for the development of new research designs that allow us to advance our theories of social interaction and social structure with new data sources

(12.2). The following is an example of a research study that used random assignment to form the groups for comparison.

Journal Article 2: Lynch, K., & Kim, J. S. (2017). Effects of a summer mathematics intervention for low-income children: A randomized experiment. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 39, 31–53. doi:10.3102/0162373716662339

Abstract: Prior research suggests that summer learning loss among low-income children contributes to income-based gaps in achievement and educational attainment. We present results from a randomized experiment of a summer mathematics program conducted in a large, high-poverty urban public school district. Children in the third to ninth grade (N = 263) were randomly assigned to an offer of an online summer mathematics program, the same program plus a free laptop computer, or the control group. Being randomly assigned to the program plus laptop condition caused children to experience significantly higher reported levels of summer home mathematics engagement relative to their peers in the control group. Treatment and control children performed similarly on distal measures of academic achievement. We discuss implications for future research.

(12.3). The following is an example of a research study based on the pretest–posttest control-group design.

Journal Article 3: Bender, K. A., DePrince, A., Begun, S., Hathaway, J., Haffejee, B., & Schau, N. (2018). Enhancing risk detection among homeless youth: A randomized clinical trial of a promising pilot intervention. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 33, 2945–2967. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260516633208

No Abstract.