Question

Experimental research is primarily a hypothesis-testing method. a. True b. False

Answer 1

True.

We test hypotheses to first determine whether they are valid....In other words, whether they are accurate. Other people then test the same hypotheses to see if the results are reliable.

Valid = empirically supported; accurate.

Reliable = empirically supported over and over, even hundreds or thousands of times or more, by different people and through various methods.

Hypothesis = a suggested explanation that fits observable phenomena and possible correlations, based on data, induction, or deduction.
***Hypotheses MUST be falsifiable***

Falsifiable = capable of being shown to be false. If you can't falsify a hypothesis, it is NOT a valid hypothesis.

Theory = a thoroughly tested, non-falsified, and well-substantiated explanation that unifies proven (aka valid) and verified (aka reliable) factors. It has predictive power.


When we get the same results over time, by various experiments done by different people, we start to gain a lot of data and confidence in our results. Once the data are large enough and replicated enough, AND once the known experimental results have predictive power, we call it a theory...such as the theory of gravity or the theory of evolution by natural selection. If there's a mathematical relationship that is consistently true given the data, then we call it a law.

If the data are falsified, then we reject the hypothesis (show it is not true) and must move on to alternate hypotheses.

Hope this helps!
(Caps for emphasis, not screaming :) )