PSYCH 1X03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Confounding, Energy Drink, Research
9 May 2016
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Document Summary
Scientific method: construct a theory, generate hypothesis, choose research method, collect data, analyze data, report the findings, revise existing theories. Theory: general set of existing ideas about the way the world works: guides the development of a hypothesis. Hypothesis: a testable statement; specific predictions about the relationships between variables involved in the theory. Research method: tests the hypothesis: uses methods (e. g. experiments) to collect data. Analyze data to determine any trends or relationships that research has revealed, leads to whether original hypothesis is acceptable or rejected. Report findings: publish results as articles in scholarly journals; debated by experts if article is scholarly, accurate and meaningful. Revise existing theories: review all findings to define our current understanding of the world. Paradigm shift: dramatic change in our way of thinking: 1543: copernicus challenged the existing dogma that earth was at the center of the universe. Prediction: a specific testable statement generated from the hypothesis: e. g.
