Unit 1 Chapter 2, Sections 2-3 Causation in Science/ Procedure and Ethics in Research Mr. Young

Essential Question Why is it important to look at the cause before jumping to conclusions of the effect of an event?

The Nature of Causation Causation- events occur in predictable, nonrandom ways Social Scientists look for the factors that cause social events to happen

Causation Videos OkUg OkUg

Multiple Causation Belief that an event occurs as a result of several factors working in combination

Variables Characteristic that is subject to change

Quantitative Variable Variable that can be measured and given a numerical value Example: literacy rate in developing countries

Qualitative Variable Defined by presence or absence in a category Example: “either/or” “yes/no” Sex, Marital status, group membership

Independent Variable A characteristic that causes something to occur Time studying for test

Dependent Variable A characteristic that reflects a change Grade on Test

Intervening Variable Variable that changes the relationship between an independent and dependent variable Government assistance that can help the poor Sickness in the family

Correlation A measure of the relationship between two variables Existence of correlation does not necessarily mean a cause- and-effect relationship exists

Correlation videos nQE&feature=related nQE&feature=related O48 O48

Positive correlation When independent and dependent variable change in the same direction When grades (dependent) improve as study time increases (independent)

Positive Correlation Videos Q4 Q4

Negative correlation Variables change in opposite direction Grades (dependent) go down as time spent watching television (independent) increase

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Standards for showing causation Standard 1- Two variables must be correlated

Standards Continued Standard 2- All other possible factors must be taken into account Spurious correlation- relationship between two variables that is actually caused by 3 rd factor

Standard Cont. Standard 3- Change in independent variable must occur before a change in dependent can occur

Section 3: Procedures in Research Scientific Method- pursuit of knowledge in a systematic way Hypothesis- educated guess

7 steps of research Step 1: Identify the Problem

Step 2: Review the Literature

Step 3: Formulate Hypothesis Because of the popularity of the show, more people with last name Griffen are calling their son Stewie

Step 4: Develop a Research Design

Steps Contiued: Step 5: Collect Data Step 6: Analyze Data Step 7: State finding and Conclusion

Essential Question Why is it important to look at the cause before jumping to conclusions of the effect of an event?