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Scientific Method
Review
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Definition
 Basically:
 Form
hypothesis
 Create design/experiment
 Observations
 Analyze data
 Reach conclusions
 Re-test
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Goals of Scientific Method
 Description
 Nomothetic
approach
 Generalizations
 About a diverse population
 Idiographic approach
 Specifics
 About the individual
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Goals of Scientific Method
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Prediction
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Correlational Study
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Used to show a relationship between two variables
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Scores on one variable are used to predict scores on a
second variable
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Doesn’t tell you “why”
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Three possible results: positive, negative, no correlation
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Goals of Scientific Method
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Understanding
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Three conditions for making a causal inference
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Covariation of events
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Two events vary together
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When one event changes, the other must change
Time-order relationship
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The presumed cause must occur before the presumed effect
Elimination of plausible alternative causes
Creating change
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Extra Vocabulary
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Reliability
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Validity
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The degree to which a test measures what it claims to measure
Theory
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The degree to which a measurement device yields consistent
results under varying conditions
A well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural
world
Hypothesis
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Educated guess