PSY 102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Facial Symmetry, Confounding
21 Feb 2017
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Document Summary
A scientific theory can be used to generate predictions (called hypotheses) about how some specific aspects of the world works. Hypothesis: testable prediction about how the world will behave if our theory is correct. Eg. , if the theory is correct that children learn behaviours by imitating what they see around them, then children exposed to violent media (tv< video games) should behave more violently than children that aren"t. Hypothesis often concern the relationship between two or more variables. Variables are things to be measured that can take on different values. Eg. , 1) video games 2) violent behaviour. The goal in hypothesis testing is not to prove anything. Hypothesis testing is about using best practices to be able to confidently reach a conclusion. Rods vary in material, length, and thickness. E. g. , choose a consistent length and thickness of rod for each material. Critically, there is random assignment to one group or the other.
