Chapter 2 Flashcards
LO: What are the three primary goals of science?
1) description (what)
2) prediction (when, where)
3) explanation (why)
Data
Measurements gathered during the research process
Scientific Method
Scientific procedure for conducting research
Theory
- ideas or concepts
- empirical evidence
- makes predictions about a phenomenon
- explanation based on observation
- best theories generate a lot of hypotheses
- simple
- typically been around for a while
- not the same as opinions or beliefs
Hypothesis
- prediction based on theory
- testable = falsifiable (can be proven wrong)
- you can’t prove a hypothesis, you can only support it
Research
- scientific process
- careful collection, analysis, and interpretation of data
- tests hypothesis
- can be duplicated (replicable)
- either supports or fails to support the theory
Supports: strengthens theory
Fails to support: revise or discard
Q: Which scientific goal is fulfilled by a project seeking to understand the causes of teen vaping?
Explanation (why)
SQ: Describe the 7 steps used in the Scientific Method
1) Frame a RESEARCH QUESTION
2) Conduct a LITERATURE REVIEW
3) Form a HYPOTHESIS
4) DESIGN a study
5) CONDUCT the study
6) ANALYZE the data
7) REPORT RESULTS
1) Research Question
- specific, basic
- testable using data
2) Literature Review
- why is it helpful?
- search for what’s already been discovered on your topic
- helps you guide your research: inspiration
3) Hypothesis
- testable research predictions
- design tests
4) Design Study
- decide which research method to use
5) Conduct Study
- recruit participants
- measure responses
Operational Definition
- why is it important?
a definition that qualifies (describes) and quantifies (measures) a variable so it can be easily understood
- helps with replicability
Variable
something that can vary and that a researcher can manipulate, measure, or both
6) Analyze the Data
- describe findings
- look for conclusions
7) Report Results
- why is it important
- how does it support science
- submit to research journals
- peer review
- benefits society, supports scientific culture, inspires others
Q: In the scientific method, what do you call a specific, testable prediction?
Hypothesis
Replication
- why do some studies not replicate?
Repetition of a study to confirm or contradict results
- theory is wrong, false positives, questionable research methods
False Positive
results when there is no real effect but a study produces statistically significant results by chance
Questionable Research Methods
Practices that unintentionally make research less replicable
What are 4 common questionable research methods?
HARKing
p-hacking
Small samples
Underreporting null effects
- HARKing
- why is it a problem?
Hypothesizing After Results are Known
- leads people to believe the study was conducted for that one outcome when many other outcomes could have been possible by chance
- p-hacking
Testing the same hypothesis until finding a significant result
What are 3 practices that can help avoid questionable research methods?
- preregistration
- meta-analysis
- larger samples
- Preregistration
documenting a study’s hypotheses, methods, and analysis plan ahead of time and publishing it on a time-stamped website
- Meta-analysis
“study of studies”
- combines findings of multiple studies to arrive at a conclusion
Q: How does preregistration prevent HARKing?
- holds researchers accountable
- forces them to submit their hypothesis publicly before conducting their study
What are the 3 types of studies used in psychological research?
1) descriptive
2) correlational
3) experimental