eksperiment

An eksperiment is a systematic procedure used to test a hypothesis or demonstrate a principle by making controlled observations and measurements. It seeks to establish cause-and-effect relationships by manipulating one or more factors while keeping others constant.

Key elements include a clear hypothesis, variables, and controls. The independent variable is the factor deliberately varied, and the dependent variable is the outcome measured. Controls are kept constant to isolate effects. Randomization helps reduce bias, and replication enhances reliability.

There are several types of experiments, including laboratory experiments conducted in controlled settings, field experiments performed in real-world environments, randomized controlled trials that assign treatments randomly, and natural or quasi-experiments where randomization is limited or absent. Each type has implications for internal and external validity.

Design and procedure typically involve defining the hypothesis, selecting participants or samples, assigning treatments (often randomly), collecting data, and analyzing results. Ethical considerations are essential, especially in studies involving humans or animals, requiring appropriate oversight and adherence to welfare standards. Transparency practices, such as preregistration and data sharing, support reproducibility and verification of findings.

Limitations include issues of generalizability, potential biases, and the difficulty of isolating all confounding variables. Well-designed experiments address these challenges through randomization, blinding, controls, and robust statistical analysis.

See also: experimental design, hypothesis, replication, statistical analysis.