Crashcourse on experimental methods and design: from theory to practice - An introduction to experimental methods für Social studies and Humanities (GSGG)

Trainer: Daniele Panizza
Datum: 9./10. November 2015 (2 Tage jeweils 10:00-18:00 Uhr)
Ort: CRC Textstrukturen, Nikolausberger Weg 23, 37073 Göttingen, Bibliothek 2. Etage
Zielgruppe: Promovierende in jeder Phase der Promotion
max. 15 Teilnehmer(innen)

No prerequisites for this course are required, a laptop to test the methods we will discuss in the course is welcome.

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Veranstalterin: GSGG

An introduction to experimental methods for Social Studies and Humanities

Experimental methods have become a valuable tool to assess theoretical hypotheses in Humanities and Social sciences. One factor that constituted a problem for researchers in theis field is the requirement of a specific know-how (i.e. programming, statistical knowledge) necessary to conduct experimental studies and the limited availability of experimental tools (e.g. expensive software, technical tools).

In this 2-days course I will provide a brief practical introduction on how to develop, conduct and analyze experimental studies that are aimed to test theoretical hypotheses such as those advanced in Humanities and Social sciences. Various methodologies will be discussed. The overall goal is to provide the PhD-candidates with specific knowledge to build their own experiment by using free software and inexpensive experimental tools.

Sessions I/II (Day 1, morning and afternoon)

- The link between theory and experimental studies: why are experiments useful?
- Quick introduction on experimental methods: questionnaires, online tools, eyetracking.
- The experimental design: how to implement an experimental study in practice.
- Hands on Open Source toolkits to develop and analyze experiments (Python based).

Session III/IV (Day 2, morning and afternoon)

- A case study: practical implementation of an experiment.
- How to analyze your data: Data analysis through R and Python.
- Looking ahead: Open discussion and further projects.


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Dr. Daniele Panizza is postdoc within the GSGG research focus "Language, Cognition and Text". His research interests are:
Scalar implicatures: processing and interpretation through eye-tracking and ERP
Quantifier and logical words: processing and interpretation in adults and children
Semantic violation and neuroscience of language: ERP
Text, corpus analysis and parsing: computational models in Python