PSYS 001 - EXAM 1 - 3.3.2 - The Research Hypothesis

Good theories have how many important characteristics?

1. General/broad: summarizes different outcomes. 2. Parsimonious: provides the simplest possible account of those outcomes. 3. Provides ideas for future research. 4. Falsifiable: the variables of interest can be adequately measured and the relationships between the variables that are predicted by the theory can be shown through research to be incorrect.

Psychologists use the term operational definition to refer to

HOW a conceptual variable is turned into a measured variable.

The first step in testing a research hypothesis involves turning the conceptual variables into

Measured variables

an example of a good theory is

Piaget's stage theory of cognitive development

Conceptual variables are

abstract ideas that form the basis of research hypotheses: not specific or measurable.

A theory is

an integrated set of principles that explains and predicts many, but not all, observed relationships within a given domain of inquiry.

a variable is

any attribute that can assume different values

One of the keys to developing a well-designed research study is to define all the

conceptual variables in its hypothesis.

Theory or hypothesis: The researchers believe there will be more aggression in males who have consumed alcohol compared to males who have not consumed alcohol.

hypothesis

When a scientist has a research question to study, the question must be stated in a

research hypothesis

A research hypothesis is a

specific, precise, testable, and falsifiable prediction about the relationship between 2 or more variables: a precise statement of the presumed relationship among specific parts of a theory

When all conceptual variables are turned into operational variables in a hypothesis, it then becomes a __________ hypothesis.

testable

Theory or hypothesis: The principle that children's thinking changes as they develop is essential to the work of many developmental psychologists.

theory

One goal of research is

to organize information into meaningful statements that can be applied in many situations.

Measured variables are

variables consisting of numbers that represent the conceptual variables: they are specific and measurable.