Scientific research can be categorized into: a) descriptive research, with the main goal to
summarize characteristics of a group (or person); b) predictive research, with the main goal …

For scientific discoveries to be valid—whether in theory or empirically—a phenomenon must
be accurately described: The scientist must use appropriate counterfactuals and eliminate …

It is often claimed that only experiments can support strong causal inferences and therefore
they should be privileged in the behavioral sciences. We disagree. Overvaluing experiments …

Abstract Objective Trials within Cohorts (TwiCs) is a pragmatic design approach that may
overcome frequent challenges of traditional randomized trials such as slow recruitment …

Featuring engaging examples from diverse disciplines, this book explains how to use
modern approaches to quasi-experimentation to derive credible estimates of treatment …

This chapter introduces researchers in social psychology to designs that permit relatively
strong causal inferences in the field. Considered are some basic issues in inferring …

Psychology researchers are often interested in mechanisms underlying how randomized
interventions affect outcomes such as substance use and mental health. Mediation analysis …

A propensity score is the probability that a participant is assigned to the treatment group
based on a set of baseline covariates. Propensity scores provide an excellent basis for …

Propensity score analysis is a method that equates treatment and control groups on a
comprehensive set of measured confounders in observational (nonrandomized) studies. A …

Relevance interventions have shown a great potential to foster motivation and achievement
(Lazowski & Hulleman, 2016). Yet, further research is warranted to test how such …