PSYB01H3 Chapter 2: PSYB01 Chapter 2 textbook notes
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the motivation to conduct scientific research derives from a natural curiosity about the world. most research studies are attempts to test a hypothesis formulated by the researcher. A hypothesis is really a type of idea or question; it makes a statement about something that may be true. A hypothesis therefore is only a tentative idea or question that is waiting for evidence to support or refute it. sometimes hypotheses are very general and informal questions (ie. do males and females differ in their drinking ability ). In such cases, the researchers develop a procedure for collecting data to answer the questions. These are informal hypotheses or simply questions about behavior. usually formal hypotheses state that two or more variables are related to one another (ie. crowding results in reduced performance on cognitive tasks ). such hypotheses are formulated on the basis of past research and theoretical considerations.
