Experimental Research Design

          This week in class we discussed experimental research which is a type of quantitative research.  Experimental research is a method that involves testing some sort of hypothesis.  A experiment involves one or more independent variables that are manipulated in order to determine the effect of a dependent variable. Many times the purpose of the design is to find some sort of causal relationship between two variables.  During a experimental research there are two groups; the control group and the experimental group. These two groups are exposed to the same environment, asked the same questions and given the same treatment . The only exception is that the experimental group gets some sort of variable that is different than what the control group gets. 
    Instead of doing my usual blog where I look up a article on a past experimental design I decided to set up a experimental design that could test a potential hypothesis instead.  The hypothesis for this experimental design says that listing calories on a menu will not affect a customer’s choice in buying fast food.  The set up would include a group of customers at a McDonald’s restaurant.  These participants would not be aware whether or not they were in the experimental group or the control group. This is known as a blind experiment. The experiment would be to test the relationship between calories and people’s food choices at McDonalds.  Instead of looking at the menu above, the participants are handed menus that show the indicated meals for the day.  The only variable that is different between the menus is that one set of menus have the calories listed and the other menus don’t.  The researcher however, knows which participants are in the control group and the experimental group.  If this was not the case, the experiment would be known as a double-blinded experimental design because both the participants and the researcher would be unaware of who is in the contol group and who is in the experimental group.  The experiment is testing whether or not the people who received the menu with the calories listed beside the foods would make healthier decisions when ordering their meals at McDonalds.  The experiment tests the causal relationship between calories and people’s diet choices.  Many people who see the calories right in front of them could feel more guilty when ordering from a fast food place.  People who remain unaware about the health conditions of the McDonald’s meals also may feel that they can order whatever they want without feeling guilty afterward. 
    As you can see this experimental design would help show how calories influence people’s diet choices.  The initial hypothesis saying it doesn’t would be tested after the participants ordered their food.  This is a example of what a experimental research design would look like in the fast food industry.