SOC 104 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Santa Barbara City College, Falsifiability
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Methods of observational study also have some disadvantages, despite their advantages. Most specifically, since the data collected in observational studies are merely a description of the events that occur, they do not tell us anything about the relationship between the various variables. Nevertheless, it is precisely this question which is intended to address correlation analysis and experimental study. Because social psychologists are generally interested in looking at relationships among variables, they begin by stating their predictions in the form of a specific statement known as a research hypothesis. A research hypothesis is a declaration of the relation between the variables of interest and the specific direction of the relationship. For example, the research hypothesis "people who are more similar to each other will be more attracted to each other" implies a relationship exists between a variable called similarity and another variable called attraction.
