Presented to Ma’am ‘Haleema Sadia’

By Roll no;
23475-Mehreen Arshad
23507-Mubbarra Tariq
23452-Iqra Muzamil
23461-Tabassum Ijaz
• Independent group design (IGD) is an experimental
design whereby different participants are used for each
experimental condition. The researcher exposes
separate sets of participants to different experimental
conditions. The defining characteristic of this
experimental design is that each group uses different
participants.
• A hypothetical study compared the results to see how one
group (the experimental sleep-deprived group) performed
compared to another (the control, well-rested group) in a
memory test. Now in this experimental design, different
participants participated in the different experimental
conditions, i.e. the sleep-deprived versus well-rested
group. And this characteristic is what makes this study an
independent group design.
• Remember, an experimental design measures the
independent variable's effect on the dependent variable.
• Independent group design differs from a repeated group
design, which uses the same individuals on two or more
different occasions for different experimental conditions.
In repeated measures designs, all participants do each
task.
• An experimental design is a research method that aims
to test a hypothesis and ensure that research is executed
in a controlled and scientific manner; this leads to
collecting representative data and drawing conclusions. If
the researchers follow the appropriate steps and
implement the necessary measures, the results may be
considered valid and reliable.
• In an independent group design, think of an
experimental and a controlled group. For the
experimental group of individuals, there is a manipulation
of the independent variable.
• The independent groups design is an experimental design whereby two groups
are exposed to different experimental conditions. Usually half of the participants
are assigned to the experimental group where they are exposed to a condition
where the independent variable is manipulated. The other half are assigned to a
control group for comparison, where no such manipulation occurs.
• One advantage of using this design is that there are no order effects which affect
the outcomes of the experiment. These happen when participants take part in
both conditions of the experiment, and their performance differs across
conditions as a result. For example, the practice at doing a memory task felt after
the first condition could lead to better performance on the second memory task,
irrespective of the manipulation of the independent variable .
• One disadvantage of this design is differences between the experimental and
control groups may be due to individual differences between participants., rather
than the effect of the independent variable. For example, due to chance, one
group may have a better working memory than the other, and when given a
memory task, that group will perform better, regardless of the independent
variable manipulation, due to pre-disposed advantage. This could be mitigated
with random sampling of participants.
• Let's consider a study on sleep that explored how
different amounts of sleep affect people's reaction times.
The hypothetical study recruited two groups of ten
different individuals.
• Whilst one group had ten hours of sleep per night, the
other group had three; this means that the independent
variable will be the amount of sleep (the manipulated
variable). The dependent variable (the measured
variable) was their recorded reaction time.
 less sleep causes slower reaction
The hypothesis
times
the amount of sleep groups 1 and 2
The independent variable
had
the reaction time of individuals in
The dependent variable
groups 1 and 2

One group had ten hours of sleep, whilst the other had three, and different
participants were tested in each condition, so the experimental design was
an independent group design.
• In an independent groups design, different individuals
participate in each condition.
• There are three different types of independent groups
designs:
– random selection designs,
– random assignment design,
– matched groups designs,
– natural groups designs.
• 2 groups are randomly selected from same population to
the different conditions of the independent variable.
• What individual differences variables might affect health
and academic success in college?
• Prior success and health, motivation, distance from
home, types of courses, etc.

• When only a small population of subjects is available,

they can be randomly assigned to one group or the other.
• Random assignment requires large samples.
• When only small samples are available, a researcher may
choose the matched groups design.
• Suppose you had a treatment for high blood pressure, and
compared the treatment to a control group (placebo).
• – Independent Variable: Treatment vs. Placebo
• – Dependent Variable: Blood pressure
What would you match on?
before starting the independent variable manipulation
(treatment vs. placebo).
– participants should be matched on the dependent variable
(or a variable very similar to the dependent variable)
• independent variable in which the groups (conditions) are formed
naturally,
individual differences variables (subject variables) refer to
characteristics or traits that vary across individuals.
– Physical Characteristics: sex, race
– Social (Demographic) Characteristics: ethnicity, religious affiliation,
marital status
– Personality Characteristics: extraversion, emotional stability, intelligence
– Mental Health Characteristics: depression, anxiety, substance abuse,
disordered thinking
• Example
Suppose we want to compare occupational functioning of schizophrenics
and normal controls (non-schizophrenics).
-> What is the independent variable?
Natural groups variable: schizophrenic vs. non-schizophrenic, normal
participants
->What is the dependent variable?
Occupational functioning
• There are both advantages and disadvantages to using
an independent group design to test a hypothesis.
• However, sometimes researchers must use an
independent group design because it may not be
possible to test different participants in each condition

to be con..
1. A key advantage to independent group designs is that
there are no order effects. Since different participants
are exposed to each condition, the order in which they
are done does not affect the outcome. Participants are
more likely to act accordingly. They cannot practice and
get better. They also will not become fatigued or bored.
2. Another advantage is that, since more participants are
required because each can only belong to one group,
the results have increased external validity. The more
people involved, the more likely the differing
representation and, thus, the higher the external
validity.(External validity refers to the extent to which
the findings of a study can be generalized to other
people, situations, and environments.)
3. Finally, there is always the benefit of both time, effort,
and money saved because both groups of participants
can be tested simultaneously.
1. Because there are two groups of different individuals,
more participants are needed. This may outweigh the
benefit of testing both groups because, for instance,
more equipment may be required for more individuals,
making independent group design less economical.
2. Participant variables exist. Since there are different
groups of individuals, it is difficult to ensure that the
differing results are because of the manipulated
independent variable - the changes in the DV observed
may be because of participant variables.
• For instance, poor diets or less dexterity/ability to react
overall as they have never experienced the conditions
before, whereas someone who plays sports or video
games may have better reaction times, affecting the
recording of the results.
• This is known as a participant variable. Another example
may be that participants in one condition may be more
intelligent (with higher IQs) than others.
• So, how can we lower the chance of participant
variables?
• The answer is random sampling. Although this does not
entirely eliminate the issue, it reduces the chances of
participant variables confounding the experiment results.
Random sampling is advantageous for independent
group design experiments because of the unbiased
selection. This increases the chance of having a more
representative sample of participants, thus increasing the
results' external validity.