In order to continue enjoying our site, we ask that you confirm your identity as a human. Thank you very much for your cooperation. Show By Indeed Editorial Team Updated March 31, 2022 | Published July 7, 2021 Updated March 31, 2022 Published July 7, 2021 The Indeed Editorial Team comprises a diverse and talented team of writers, researchers and subject matter experts equipped with Indeed's data and insights to deliver useful tips to help guide your career journey. Researchers conducting studies on multiple testing conditions have to determine the method of experimentation they plan to use during their research in order to receive the most accurate results. Between-subjects design is a method of experimentation that uses a testing group only one time before gathering another group to test another condition. Depending on the type of data you're hoping to accumulate, it can be more beneficial to use different participants for each testing variable. In this article, we discuss what between-subjects design is, who uses it, how between-subjects design differs from within-subjects design, its advantages and examples. What is a between-subjects design?A between-subjects design is a common type of experimental method that asks participants in a study to be part of either the treatment conditions or control conditions, but not both. The treatment condition is the variable that researchers are testing in order to gather data and analyze results. The controlled condition is a variable that researchers have already tested and are using only to compare with the results of the treatment condition being studied. If a study has more than one of either condition, researchers must use different testing groups for each condition being tested. For example, if there are five treatment conditions being tested during a study, researchers orchestrate five testing groups so that each group participates in one of the five treatment conditions. Who uses between-subjects design?Different industries use this design method when they need participants for testing new treatment conditions. For example:
Related: Designing an Experiment: A How-To Guide How does between-subjects design differ from within-subjects design?A between-subjects design is a type of experiment design that allows participants to take part in only one treatment condition. A within-subjects design allows participants to experience all conditions of the study. If there are three variables in the experiment, a within-subjects design doesn't need new participants for each condition. Instead, they would use the same people to take part in all three variables in the study. For example, if a clothing website is testing two interfaces and determining which interface is easier for users to add items to their cart, they could complete the experiment in two ways:
Related: Experimental Research: Why and How Companies Use It Pros and cons of between-subjects designIt’s important to consider the potential downsides of between-subjects design compared to using a within-subjects design for your research. Advantages of between-subjects designHere are a few advantages of using the between-subjects design when conducting experiments: No transfer of knowledge: Transfer of knowledge occurs when someone with information learned from one experimental condition brings that knowledge with them when participating in another experimental condition. Because this type of experiment only allows people to participate in one condition, there is no transfer of knowledge from one condition to the next. This is particularly useful in marketing, education or fitness-related studies. Easier set up: Setting up the scheduling of this design is easier than a within-subjects design because participants only take part in one test. The researchers prepare for one testing condition by scheduling one testing group. The participants come in and take part and then they set up for a whole new group which makes it an uncomplicated setup. Conversely, when creating within-subjects designs, researchers have to spend more time scheduling people for each testing condition because they're using the same participants throughout the study and have to schedule some to test variable A first and some for variable B and vice versa. Shorter sessions: Between-subjects design sessions are shorter than within-subjects design sessions because the testing groups are only being tested for one condition. This is ideal for receiving and analyzing data quickly and being able to complete more sessions in less time. Data collection for within-subjects design sessions takes longer because each participant is taking part in multiple treatment conditions. Disadvantages of between-subjects designHere are some notable disadvantages of using the between-subjects design: More resources, greater cost: Between-subjects design demands more resources be allocated to recruit a larger-sized sample, administer sessions and cover expenses. More study participants are needed to be able to compare the effectiveness of results to those of the statistics-heavy and effective results of within-subjects design. Invalid or skewed results: Different individuals provide data for each testable condition in the between-subjects method, which could result in the separate experimental groups differing in substantial ways. Such larger differences between conditions could alter results by standing in as alternate explanations. Related: Types of Research Methods Examples of between-subjects designHere are a few examples of between-subjects design testing sessions categorized by the industry conducting the tests: MarketingBusinesses often test the potential success of different marketing strategies for their products. Using between-subjects design to test different types of advertisements can help marketing teams determine which are likely to produce more leads and attract their target audience. Example: A marketing firm would like to test which of their two new slogans is going to be more effective in bringing in more sign-ups for potential consumers. To do this, they create three test groups. The first test group is going to see the current slogan. The second and third groups each see one of the new slogans the company is testing. Each group only sees one slogan and researchers observe which slogan received the most sign-ups and use that data to determine which slogan would be the best choice for their marketing strategy. Related: What Is Experiment Marketing? (With Tips and Examples) FitnessThe fitness industry is consistently creating new workout and diet programs for its clients. Before selling a program, many trainers test their programs using the between-subjects design method. It can be more effective than within-subjects design because it uses a different testing group to test each fitness program. Since within-subjects design uses the same participants for both studies, the results of the second program may not be as accurate because all the participants have already been losing weight during the first program. Example: A popular personal trainer is designing a new exercise regimen for her clients. She's made two different six-week programs with the goal of helping her clients lose weight. She would like to test each program using different testing groups to determine which program is going to be more useful in helping them lose weight. She finds volunteers to create two testing groups and each group completes one of the six-week programs. Using the data from each testing group, she is able to establish which of the programs she intends to provide to her clients. Related: 17 Careers in Fitness EducationThe field of education is constantly evolving to meet the needs of students. Educational companies use different testing groups to help them decide which of their new programs is the most promising for students' usage. Example: Researchers are making adjustments to an educational program commonly used in elementary schools. They've created four different modifications to the program with the objective to decrease the total time it takes to complete one lesson. They use students of the same age from four different elementary schools and give each testing group a different modification of the program to test. Each group uses their modified program and the researchers analyze the data collected from the program to determine which program best met the test's objective. PsychologyOne reason psychologists use the between-subjects design method is to avoid the transfer of knowledge from one treatment condition to the next. In the example below, each testing group receives a different treatment method. If the psychologist had used the within-designs method, the patients would have brought knowledge from the other treatment conditions with them, which may alter the data. Example: A psychologist is looking into treating patients with severe arachnophobia. She has designed five potential treatment options to help them cope with their fears and lessen them with use of the most effective treatment. In order to determine which method is going to be the most beneficial for her patients, she first finds enough participants to create five testing groups. Each testing group receives one of the five treatment conditions that researchers document for later analysis. After the testing concludes, researchers interpret the data and the psychologist uses it to decide the best form of treatment for her patients. |
What is a between participants research design?
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