Scientific Method

DEFINITIONS

SCIENTIFIC THEORY

The University of California, Berkley defines a theory as "a broad, natural explanation for a wide range of phenomena. Theories are concise, coherent, systematic, predictive, and broadly applicable, often integrating and generalizing many hypotheses."

An important part of scientific theory includes statements that have observational consequences. A good theory, like Newton’s theory of gravity, has unity, which means it consists of a limited number of problem-solving strategies that can be applied to a wide range of scientific circumstances. Another feature of a good theory is that it formed from a number of hypotheses that can be tested independently.

Though theories stem from (proven) hypothesis, it is often the case that the researcher already has a theory in mind that drives the development of a number of hypotheses that may or may not, through experimentation, prove the theory. It is often a circular process. For example, theoretical physicists have long speculated that there may be a “mathematical theory of everything” that describes the behavior of the universe. They built the CERN accelerator to test a number of hypothesis that, if proven through CERN experiments, would support the theory.

HYPOTHESIS

A scientific hypothesis is the initial building block in the scientific method. Many describe it as an “educated guess,” based on prior knowledge and observation. While this is true, the definition can be expanded. A hypothesis also includes an explanation of why the guess may be correct, according to National Science Teachers Association.

COMPONENTS OF A CONTROLLED EXPERIMENT

• INDEPENDENT VARIABLES are the causal events that are being proven or disproven.
• DEPENDENT VARIABLES are the measurable results from the experiment. These need to be the only variables that change
• CONSTANTS are the parts of the experiments that cannot change, because if they did, they could affect the outcomes, in which case the independent variable would not be isolated and shown to be the true cause of the changes to the dependent variables.
• CONTROL is the part of the experiment that provides a second way to confirm the efficacy of the independent variables. This often accomplished by removing the independent variables for part of the experiment.

DESIGN OF EXPERIMENTS

Scientific experiments are designed to show cause and effect and control for variables.

1. The independent variable the experiment is attempting to prove as “causal” (X)
2. The dependent variable that is effectively changed by the independent variable (Y)
3. These variables must be test in two ways

if X, then Y = HYPOTHESIS

and

if not X, then not Y = CONTROL

Case Study: the +9 Project by Kat Magee

THEORY

In addition to the 5 commonly understood senses (sight, sound, touch, taste and smell), there are 4 additional senses that affect the way humans perceive external stimulus.

• thermoception (temperature perception)
• nociception (sensing potential harm)
• equilibrioception (balance)
• proprioception (perception of movement and spatial orientation)

HYPOTHESIS

Informing people of these additional senses will heighten their awareness of them and qualitatively change the way we intellectually synthesise our experience of external stimulus.

EXPERIMENT

CONSTANT

• a variety of visual and auditory media that is experienced by a subject inside of an isolation chamber.

INDEPENDENT VARIABLE

• the subject initially tests with no given information regarding thermoception and equilibrioception.
• the subject is then informed about thermoception and equilibrioception prior to the follow up test.

DEPENDENT VARIABLES

• a questionnaire is completed during the initial test that includes response measurements for Sight, Sound and Touch, that the subject records each time the media changes
• a different questionnaire is completed during the follow up test that includes additional response measurements for Thermoception, Equilibrioception, in addition to Sight, Sound and Touch, that the subject records each time the media changes

CONTROL touch is measured but not varied… to test consistency

CONTROL

• some subjects did not receive the additional information for the follow up test. This data should determine how consistent and accurate subjects can be from test to test.

DATA

• spreadsheet (you already have this started) + quantitative summary statement (using percent change)
• number of people that changed for A through D
• number of people that changed for sight sound and touch
• rank order of sense that changed the most
• Control: number of people that changed their measurement