PS101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Longitudinal Study, Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Falsifiability
Document Summary
Organized system of assumptions and principles that purports to explain specified set of phenomena and their interrelations. Statement that attempts to predicts or to account for a set of phenomena; scientific hypotheses specify relations among events or variables and are empirically tested. Precise definition of term in hypothesis, which specifies the operations for observing and measuring process or phenomenon being defined. Principle that scientific theory must make predictions that are specific enough to expose theory to possibility of disconfirmation; theory must predicts what will and won"t happen. Tendency to look for/pay attention only to information that confirms one"s own belief. Group of individuals, selected from popl"n for study, which matches the popl"n on important characteristics such as age and sex. Methods that yield descriptions of behaviour but not necessarily casual explanations. Detailed description of particular individual being studies or treated. Study where researcher carefully and systematically observes and records behaviour w/o interfering w/ behaviour; it may involve either naturalistic/laboratory observation.
