Hypothesis
A Hypothesis is…. an educated guess of what is going to happen during an experiment – the scientist forms this at the beginning of the experiment….
A Hypothesis is…. A statement predicting the relationship of two or more variables Used in quantitative studies Research question: “What is the relationship between sexual risk-taking and substance abuse among teenage mothers in Jamaica Teenage mothers who are substances abusers are more likely to have high levels of sexual risk-taking behaviour
Forming an Hypothesis Hypothesis: Try using an “if, then” statement If ____independent variable______ then__dependent variable_______ This method is not necessary but some people find it easier.
Types of Variables There are 2 main types of variables: Independent Variable: The variable that is changed by the scientist; the ‘I control’ variable Dependent Variable: The variable that might change because of what the scientist changes – what is being measured
Example: Independent Variable: I feed my cat a lot of food she will get fat If ___________________________ then _________________________
Remember Depending on your research question, it might help to use INCREASE and DECREASE in your hypothesis! Ex. IF I increase the amount of food I give my cat, THEN she will increase her weight
Remember! Your hypothesis can TELL you what your variables are! Ex. If I drink Mountain Dew before bed, then I will not sleep very much. IV: Drinking Mountain Dew DV: the amount of sleep
Use this hypothesis to identify the variables: Practice Use this hypothesis to identify the variables: If I leave all the lights on all day, then my electric bill will be expensive IV: ______________________ DV: ______________________
Practice Students who participate in extra-curricular activities in school are more likely to be socially well-adjusted. IV: ______________________ DV: ______________________
Now read the following experiment and identify the independent and dependent variables Elizabeth wanted to test if temperature affected how fast milk goes bad and curdles. She left milk in a room temperature closet, a fridge, and a oven that was turned on low heat. She then measured how rotten the milk was after 10 days. IV: ____________________________________ DV: ____________________________________
Controls and Constants
Constant Constant: something that scientist makes sure is the same throughout the experiment Ex. Having all subjects interviewed in the same room with the same interviewers.
Control Control: The part of the experiment that the scientist doesn’t change. Acts as a base for things to be compared to. Ex. The list of pictures a subject is shown.