PSYCH The Scientific Method Flashcards
Naive realism
The belief that we see the world precisely as it is.
Ignaz Philip Semmelweis
Worked in the Vienna General Hospital with two maternity wards. One has a higher mortality rate (due to unwashed hands) and he used the scientific method to figure it out.
Steps of the Scientific Method
- Identify the question of interest
- Gather relevant information and formulate a testable hypothesis
- Design a study that can test the hypothesis
- Analyze the data and draw tentative conclusions
- Report the findings and ask further questions.
Falsifiability
If something is capable of being disproved.
Deductive Argument/ Statement
An argument in which the conclusion necessarily follow from the premises. (If the premises is true than the conclusion is true.)
Inductive Argument/Statement
An argument in which it is improbable that the conclusion is false given that the premises are true. Used to create theories.
Dependent Variable
The variable by which the outcome of an experiment/study is measured. It literally depends on another independent variable.
Independent Variable
The variable that is expected to affect the dependent variable.
Operational Definition
A description of a variable in terms of the operations used to establish or measure that variable.
Central Tendency
The most typical value of a data set. - The mode, median, and mean.
The Mode
The value that occurs with the greatest frequency.
The Median
The middle number in an ordered set of data, ordered small to large.
The Mean
The average, the sum divided by the sample size.
Pros and Cons of the Mode
Works well with categories. Has low sampling stability.
Pros and Cons of the Median
Robust to extreme values. Doesn’t work well with a lot of common statistical methods.
Pros and Cons of the Mean
Best. Not robust to extreme values.
