Definition
Experiments count as exploratory when the concepts or categories in terms of which results should be understood are not obvious, the experimental methods and instruments for answering the questions are uncertain, or it is necessary first to establish relevant factual correlations in order to characterize the phenomena of a domain and the regularities that require (perhaps causal) explanation. Elliot (2007, 322 ff.) offers a useful taxonomy of exploratory experimentation. Rather than testing hypotheses; it varies parameters or circumstances to see what will happen; it utilizes background knowledge (including theories and experimental lore) to establish novel correlations, follow anomalies, seek improvements in instrumentation and experimental protocols, and the like; and it employs a variety of systematic strategies to govern appropriate variation of parameters and appropriate orientation to the primary questions in the background. Thus, some of the investigations well...
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Burian, R.M. (2013). Exploratory Experimentation. In: Dubitzky, W., Wolkenhauer, O., Cho, KH., Yokota, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Systems Biology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-9863-7_60
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-9863-7_60
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