EXAMPLES: WITHIN-GROUP DIFFERENCES

Suppose you were interested in whether there is a difference in how easy children find two different computerised teaching packages to use. You might have the children try first package, and then on a second occasion have the same children try the second package. You would have some way of scoring how easily the children navigate the package as your DEPENDENT VARIABLE. Which package was used would be your INDEPENDENT VARIABLE. This is a WITHIN GROUP analysis because you take measures with the same children, under different conditions, rather than with different children. If you had different groups of children for the two computer packages, you would be doing a BETWEEN GROUP analysis.

NOTE: Of course, if the children are new to computer packages, there would be the problem that on their second go, the children might utilize skill gained from navigating the previous package, and this could enhance their performance, rather than the second computer package being inherently easier to navigate. You would have to tackle this in some way. You might, for example, use COUNTERBALANCING.

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