Chapter 1J - Scientific Research and Stats in the Exercise sciences

Question 1

Designing a science investigation based on the scientific method, would consist of the following steps.

Answer 1

• Make an observation
• Create a question
• Form a hypothesis
• Conduct an experiment
• Collect and analyze data
• Form a conclusion

Question 2

Define qualitative observation, quantitative observation, and inference.

Answer 2

Qualitative observation - describes what is being observed such as the color of a house or smell of a flower

Quantitative observations - measure what is being observed, such as the number of windows on a house or the intensity of a flower’s smell on a scale of 1-5.

Inference - Observations lead to the ID of a problem, also called an inference . Ex- if you see a fire truck, the inference could be that there’s a fire.

Question 3

For a hypothesis to occur, there must be an independent variable and the dependent variable that can be measure. Explain independent vs dependent variable.

Answer 3

The independent variable is the variable that can be manipulated, and the dependent variable is the result of the change.

Question 4

Define reliability vs validity

Answer 4

Reliability - Able to be free from random errors and are able to predict or measure performance or outcomes consistently

Validity - to be valid , a test or study involving exercise science or training should collect information on the athlete relevant to the athlete’s sport and position.

Question 5

Can you explain each ; Content validity , construct validity, and criterion-related validity?

Answer 5

Content validity - measures how well the test’s aim covers the skills and abilities required for a specific sport or position. For example, if a measure of the anerobic power of a football lineman is the intention but a VO2 max test is used, this can be deemed an invalid test.

Construct validity - determines if a test effectively assesses the characteristics it claims to measure, such as vertical reach, and that the characteristic in question is indeed important for successful performance of the position.
For example, the vertical jump test to measure vertical reach for a volleyball player would have a high construct validity, but this same test would have a low construct validity for a distance runner

Criterion - related validity can predict how an athlete will perform in their position and sport based on their test scores.

Question 6

Strength and conditioning specialists can measure two types of criterion-related validity: Define predictive validity vs concurrent validity.

Answer 6

Predictive validity - measure of whether an athlete will possess the required skills, knowledge or behavior traits in the future. To be valid, the test results should correlate and accurately predict athletic performate in the future, a positive correlation coefficient.

Concurrent validity - an athlete currently possesses the required skills or abilities. Ex. a coach administers a test to athletes to determine and compare their results to existing measures of athletic performance. This test is deemed to be valid if the athlete who is recieves the highest scores also perform best at thier sport

Question 7

To test a hypothesis, one must conduct a carefully designed experiment. There are four basic requirements that must be present for an experiment to be valid that includes a control, independent/ dependent variables, a constant, and repeated and collected data. Explain what those four things are.

Answer 7

Control - A standard to which the resultant findings are compared. It’s a baseline measurement that allows for scientists to determine whether the results are positive or negative.

Independent variable - the one we manipulate , and the dependent variable is the result of the changes to the independent variable.

Constant - An element of the experiment that remains unchanged.