CFD 1220 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Rein, Critical Thinking, The Need
11 Jun 2018
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Chapter 1: Introduction
Understanding How and Why
• The science of human development:
o Seeks to understand how and why people all kinds of people everywhere of
every age change over time
• The goal of this science is to help earth’s 7 billion people fulfill their potential
The Need for Science
• Developmental study is a science
• It depends on:
o Theory
o Data
o Analysis
o Critical thinking
o Sound methodology
• Science of human development is interdisciplinary
• Scientist form many academic disciplines that contribute to our understanding of how
and why people grow
o Biology
o Psychology
o Sociology
o Anthropology
o Economics
o History
• Science is especially useful when we study children
The Scientific Method
• To discard unexamined opinions and to rein in personal bias, we follow the five steps
of the scientific method
• Scientific method:
o A way to answer questions using empirical research and data based
conclusions
• Begin with curiosity
o On the basis of theory
o Theory:
▪ A comprehensive set of ideas
• Develop a hypothesis
o Hypothesis:
▪ A specific production that can be tested
• Test the hypothesis
o Design and conduct research to gather empirical evidence
o Empirical:
▪ Based on observation experience or experiment not theoretical
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