PSYB01H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Meta-Analysis, Newsbank, Inc., American Psychological Association
Document Summary
Hypotheses and predictions: most research studies are attempts to test a hypothesis formulated by the researcher. A hypothesis is a statement about something that may be true. It is a tentative idea about how two or more variables relate to each other that is waiting for evidence to support or refute it. Once the hypothesis is proposed, data must be gathered and evaluated in terms of whether the evidence is consistent or inconsistent with the hypothesis. The researcher would then translate the more general hypothesis into a speci c prediction concerning the outcome of this particular experiment. To develop an interesting hypothesis a researcher starts with an idea. Let"s consider ve sources of ideas: common assumptions, observation of the world around us, practical problems, theories, and past research. Questioning common assumptions: one source of ideas that can be tested is common assumptions that people make to explain the world.
