• Explain key experimental methods, including associated application possibilities, approaches to data analysis, as well as consequences for data interpretation and conclusions.
• Critically analyse applied methods in scientific studies and account for meaningful and methodologically valid alternatives.
• Critically reflect on the consequences of various experimental methods and analyses for e.g. data interpretation, generalizability and reproducibility.
• Include relevant scientific literature to describe, unfold and reflect on different methodological positions and approaches in relation to a specific problem.
• Understand and describe basic statistical tests, as well as explain their applicability in different types of studies.

The course is based on a series of interactive lectures, which initially go through the fundamental principles of research methods and core concepts of experimentation, then discuss various experimental design options, approaches to data analysis, as well as consequences for data interpretation and inference-making. In sum, throughout the course, we will discuss research design issues, various experimental paradigms, validity and reliability, ethics and caveats associated with experimental studies, and approaches of statistical analysis.

The course places emphasis on critically understanding the mechanics of research design and methods, so the lectures do not have a strictly normative nature.

Throughout the semester we will hold some less structured sessions, where students will have the opportunity to interact with the professor and solve problems, get additional clarifications about the course’s content, and receive feedback with regard to the assignment. The purpose of these sessions is to provide space for inquiries and allow students to reflect on the material from differentangles.

The course follows a blended learning approach, combining online and on-site sessions:

1. Introduction to the content and structure of the course

Online teaching

Georgios Halkias, Department of Marketing, CBS

2. Philosophy of Science and Research Paradigms

Online teaching

Guest lecturer, tba & Georgios Halkias, Department of Marketing, CBS

3. Causal Inference and Experimental Research 

Online teaching

Georgios Halkias, Department of Marketing, CBS

4. Fundamental Elements of Experimentation 

Online teaching

Georgios Halkias, Department of Marketing, CBS

5. Experimental Designs

Online teaching

Georgios Halkias, Department of Marketing, CBS

6. Validity and Reliability |  Interactive Class

In-class teaching on campus

Georgios Halkias, Department of Marketing, CBS

7. Applied Research: Behind the scenes |  Interactive Class

In-class teaching on campus

Georgios Halkias, Department of Marketing, CBS

8. Research and Statistical Inference 

In-class teaching on campus

Georgios Halkias, Department of Marketing, CBS

9. Research Design & Statistical Testing I

In-class teaching on campus

Georgios Halkias, Department of Marketing, CBS

10. Research Design & Statistical Testing II

In-class teaching on campus

Georgios Halkias, Department of Marketing, CBS

11. Research Ethics: Replicability, Reproducibility, and Questionable Research Practices (QRPs) 

Online teaching

Guest lecturer, tba & Georgios Halkias, Department of Marketing, CBS

12. Things you need to know (and never forget) about Experimental Research 

In-class teaching on campus

Georgios Halkias, Department of Marketing, CBS

The reading material involves the lecture slides and lecture notes (if available) as well as a selection of articles that will be provided to the students. The content of the course is nicely covered by the following books:

Shadish, William R., Cook, Thomas D. & Campbell, Donald T. (2002). Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Generalized Causal Inference. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

Shaughnessy, John J., Zechmeister, Eugene B. & Jeanne S. Zechmeister. (2012) Research methods in psychology (9^th ed.), McGraw-Hill.

Price, Paul C., Jhangiani, Rajiv S. & Chant A. Chiang. (2015). Research Methods in Psychology, 2nd Canadian Edition [licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License].