Establishing the experimenting society: the historical origin of social experimentation according to the randomized controlled design.
This article traces the historical origin of social experimentation. It highlights the central role of psychology in establishing the randomized controlled design and its quasi-experimental derivatives. The author investigates the differences in the 19th- and 20th-century meaning of the expression "social experiment." She rejects the image of neutrality of social experimentation, arguing that its 20th-century advocates promoted specific representations of cognitive competence and moral trustworthiness. More specifically, she demonstrates that the randomized controlled experiment and its quasi-experimental derivatives epitomize the values of efficiency and impersonality characteristic of the liberal variation of the 20th-century welfare state.
Dehue
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Heymans Institute for Psychological Research, University of Groningen, Grote Kruisstraat 2/1, 9712 TS Groningen, The Netherlands. g.c.g.dehue@ppsw.rug.nl
D004992:Ethics, Medical / Q000266:history; D005060:Europe; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011589:Psychology, Experimental / Q000266:history* / Q000592:standards; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000266:history; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000266:history* / Q000592:standards; D012942:Social Sciences / Q000266:history; D014481:United States