Define “hypothesis”. What was Dr. Cole’s hypothesis? A hypothesis is an explanation or supposition that is provisionally accepted so as to interpret phenomena or events. Hypothesis provides guidance and offers the basis for further investigation. Usually a statement, a hypothesis could be proven wrong or correct and ought to be capable of refutation. Dr. Cole’s hypothesis is that students who have more stress in their lives will also be sick more often.
Was the research correlational or experimental?
In experimental research, a scholar introduces a change then monitors the effects however in correlational studies, researchers analyze associations between naturally occurring variables. Dr. Cole study is correlational since the researcher is trying to ascertain the relationship between stress and physical illness.
Identify two key variables in the study
A variable is measurable characteristic that varies. In research there exist, dependent and independent variables. The changes on the dependent variables are what researchers usually try to measure. Independent variable is usually manipulated to see if it makes the dependent variable change. The key variables in the study are stress and physical illness.
Define operational definition?
Operational definition refers to a statement of procedures that are used to define the terms of the processes that usually determines the nature of a variable. For stress levels the sample was requested to fill in questionnaires on the severity of their stress levels. The Doctor then analyzed the forms returned by the first 100 athletes. For the physical illnesses the doctor requested records from the medical department. She then analyzed the number of days athletes had been absent due to illness. Eventually she stated that athletes that reported more stress also experienced more frequent illnesses.
Aspects of the study that weakens validity?
One of the aspects that weaken its validity is that it tested female athletes only. This is not an adequate representation of the world or regions. The use of the first a hundred samples also weakens the validity. The sample was not random since she used only the first hundred female students. The study also invades the athlete’s privacy by accessing their records without consent. She asked for permission from the principal and not the athletes. The researcher fails to acknowledge the limitations of the study a clear indication that the scholar made numerous assumptions that should not be overlooked.
