Final answer:
In evaluating experimental design, it is essential to consider the controls, measurement techniques, and ethical considerations while identifying sources of error such as sampling bias and chance error to ensure valid results.
Step-by-step explanation:
When designing an experiment, it is crucial to have well-defined controls and accurate measurement techniques. An adequate control involves a comparison to a group that receives a placebo, ensuring that only the independent variable influences the outcome. This helps distinguish the effect of the experimental manipulation from other factors. The design must also include random assignment to minimize bias and ensure the integrity of the data.
Sources of error in an experiment can include sampling bias, chance error, and measurement inaccuracies. Sampling bias occurs when the selected participants are not representative of the population, while chance error refers to natural variations within the data. Accurate measurements are also vital for reliable results, as is correctly interpreting qualitative and quantitative analysis.
Improvement in experimental design can involve increasing sample size, using double-blinding techniques to minimize the power of suggestion, and ensuring that the experiment is set up to properly test the hypothesis. Ethical considerations must also be taken into account to conform to the scientific community's expectations of research conduct.
In summary, explanatory and response variables must be clearly identified, and the impact of potential errors should be considered and mitigated through thoughtful experimental design. Repeating the experiment or having it verified by others can strengthen the conclusions drawn.