Two "independent" variables: gender of person in need of help and
gender of participant.
The first independent variable is probably experimental, assuming
that participants were randomly assigned.
This makes the study a field experiment.
The second "independent" variable is a subject variable. This makes
the study ex post facto or possibly quasi experimental.
Thus, the study is both experimental and nonexperimental. Just as we
can have mixed designs with both between and within variables, so we
can have studies that are mixed methods with both truly experimental
and also nonexperimental independent variables.
By the way, I would not use the label "correlational", because I
like to reserve that term for one of the kinds of nonexperimental
research (also called descriptive research). However, some writers
allow that "correlational" be used in two ways: as equivalent to
descriptive and as a sub-category of descriptive (a study in which a
correlation coefficient is calculated as the major data).
Also: Should we have another name for the "independent" variable when
it is not truly experimentally manipulated? And should we have
another name for the "dependent" variable in this situation?
Stuart
___________________________________________________
Stuart J. McKelvie. Ph.D., Phone: (819)822-9600
Department of Psychology, Extension 2402
Bishop's University, Fax: (819)822-9661
Lennoxville, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Quebec J1M 1Z7,
Canada.
Bishop's University Psychology Department Web Page:
http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy
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