How can we ask the best questions? Asking Questions How can we ask the best questions?

Asking Scientific Questions Able to be addressed by science Testable & not too broad Unbiased;: consider many possible explanations and alternate hypotheses Goals Description Prediction Understanding Mechanisms Answer “Why?” Cause & Effect Relationship

Cause & Effect Covariation of events Time order relationships Elimination of plausible alternative causes Experimental manipulation Cause & Effect

Serendipity Deduction Induction Inuition Analogy Asking quesitons

Asking Questions: Thought Analogy ► comparing similar situations Induction ► infer general from specific Deduction ► infer specific from general Intuition ► ‘hunch’, little concrete info Serendipity ► unexpected observation Asking Questions: Thought

Designing Experiments to Ask Good Questions “Since a major goal of science is to minimize the difference between our perception of reality and reality itself, the primary focus of experimental design is to make the test as objective as possible.” Lee

Planning Experiments Choose type and amount of data What to observe How to observe - direct, indirect, inference How to collect data Design: controls, treatments, types of & which variables Choose data analysis

Bias & Errors Types of Bias Experimental Error Sampling Psychological: subject, experimenter Types of Bias Systematic: e.g. calibration Unsystematic: e.g. uncontrolled factors Personal errors: judgment Mistakes: e.g. recording Experimental Error Bias & Errors

At presentations Reading papers Doing research Asking questions…

At presentations Reading papers Doing research Asking questions…

At presentations Reading papers Doing research Asking questions…