preexperiment

English

Etymology

pre- +‎ experiment

Adjective

preexperiment (not comparable)

1. Before an experiment takes place.

Noun

preexperiment (plural preexperiments)

1. A simple form of research that examines a group or groups before and after an event, to see whether there is change, but does not employ a control group.
   • 2016, Marina Krcmar, David R. Ewoldsen, Ascan Koerner, Communication Science Theory and Research:

     A study that uses only a manipulation is considered a pre-experiment. As the name implies, a pre-experiment has not quite achieved the level of control necessary to be termed an experiment at all.

   • 2020, Earl R. Babbie, The Practice of Social Research, page 247:

     Campbell and Stanley describe three forms of preexperiments: the one-shot case study, the one-group pretest–posttest design, and the static-group comparison.