Week 2 Flashcards
(29 cards)
Which of the following hypotheses can be falsified? For each, be sure to consider what kind of data could be collected to demonstrate that a statement is not true.
A. Chocolate tastes better than pasta.
B. We live in the most violent time in history.
C. Time can run backward as well as forward.
D. There are planets other than Earth that have water on them.
Chocolate tastes better than pasta.
Inductive or Deductive?
The stove was on and the water in the pot was boiling over. The front door was standing open. These clues suggest the homeowner left unexpectedly and in a hurry.
Gravity is associated with mass. Because the moon has a smaller mass than the Earth, it should have weaker gravity.
Students don’t like to pay for high priced textbooks. It is likely that many students in the class will opt not to purchase a book.
To earn a college degree, students need 100 credits. Janine has 85 credits, so she cannot graduate.
- Inductive
- Deductive
- Deductive
- Deductive
Anecdotal evidence
A piece of biased evidence, usually drawn from personal experience, used to support a conclusion that may or may not be correct.
Causality
In research, the determination that one variable causes- is responsible for- an effect.
Correlation
In statistics, the measure of relatedness of two or more variables.
Data (also called observations)
In research, information systematically collected for analysis and interpretation.
Deductive reasoning
A form of reasoning in which a given premise determines the interpretation of specific observations (e.g. all birds have feathers; since a duck is a bird, it has feathers).
Distribution
In statistics, the relative frequency that a particular value occurs for each possible value of a given variable.
Empirical
Concerned with observation and/or the ability to verify a claim.
Fact
Objective information about the world.
Falsify
In science, the abiliy of a claim to be tested and- possibly- refuted; a defining feature of science.
Generalize
In research, the degree to which one can extend conclusions drawn from the findings of a study to other groups or situations not included in the study.
Hypothesis
A tentative explanation that is subject to testing.
Induction
To draw general conclusions from specific observations.
Levels of analysis
In science, there are complementary understandings and explanations of phenomena.
Null-hypothesis significance testing (NHST)
In statistics, a test created to determine the chances that an alternative hypothesis would produce a result as extreme as the one observed if the null hypothesis were actually true.
Objective
Being free of personal bias.
Population
In research, all the people belonging to a particular group (e.g. the population of left handed people).
Probability
A measure of the degree of certainty of the occurence of an event.
Pseudoscience
Beliefs or practices that are presented as being scientific, or which are mistaken for bewing scientific, but which are not scientific (e.g. astrology. Astrology is a pseudoscience unable to be falsified, wheras astronomy is a legitimate scientific discipline).
Representative
In research, the degree to which a sample is a typical example of the population from which it is drawn.
Sample
In research, a number of people selected from a population to serve as an example of that population.
Scientific theory
An explanation for observed phenomena that is empiricallu well-supported, consistent, and fruitfull (predictive).
Type 1 error
In statistics, the error of rejecting the null hypothesis when it is true.
