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Experiments have strong _____ and weak _____.

a. generalizability, causal strength
b. generalizability, exhaustiveness
c. internal validity, external validity
d. external validity, causal strength

User Makaron
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1 Answer

4 votes

Final answer:

Experiments typically have strong internal validity due to their controlled approach, which allows them to effectively establish cause-and-effect relationships, but they often have weak external validity, which limits the generalizability of their results.

option d is the correct

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question pertains to the characteristics of experimental research, specifically the strengths and weaknesses related to validity.

Experiments are significantly capable of establishing cause-and-effect relationships due to their controlled environments where variables are carefully manipulated. This characteristic is known as internal validity, the extent to which we can say that no other variables except the one we're studying caused the result.

However, experiments often face challenges when it comes to applying their results to situations outside the study, referred to as external validity, or generalizability, to the larger population.

Given this, the correct answer to the student's question would be option c: Experiments have strong internal validity and weak external validity. This means that while they can demonstrate causality quite effectively within the scope of the experiment (strong causal strength), they may not always reflect how outcomes would occur in real-world settings (weak generalizability).

User Nitin Bisht
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