factorial design

an experimental study in which two or more categorical variables are simultaneously manipulated or observed in order to study their joint influence (interaction effect) and separate influences (main effects) on a separate dependent variable. For example, a researcher could use a factorial design to investigate treatment type (e.g., new exercise procedure vs. traditional procedure) and age (＜ 40 vs. ＞ 40). The primary advantages of factorial designs are that they allow for the evaluation of interrelationships and that they are more efficient than conducting multiple studies with one variable at a time. See also fractional factorial design; two-by-two factorial design.

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Psychology term of the day

March 9th 2025

true experiment

a study in which participants are assigned at random to two or more experimentally manipulated treatment conditions or to a treatment group and a control group. This type of experiment is in contrast to quasi-experimental designs, such as natural experiments and field experiments.