What research design should I choose if I want to explain or understand the causes of behavior?
• Experimental research design
Researchers choose an experimental design when they seek to understand the causes of psychological phenomena. This requires a high degree of control over the variable of interest. That is, researchers must isolate the variable they’re interested in and assess behavior in a controlled setting. Experimental designs differ from passive observational/correlational designs because the researcher actively controls important aspects of the research situation.