The causality issue has frequently been cited in separating correlational from experimental research methods. Unfortunately the explication of this causal dichotomy typically includes only very general statements regarding experimental controls or randomization procedures. In this investigation the implications of four assumptions underlying the fixed-effects analysis of variance design are presented in terms of the extent to which causal interpretation may be derived from that design. It is concluded that within a fixed-effects design the causality issue reduces to a complex statement of confidence which the researcher attaches to individual research findings.
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