DrEmmerson Is Using the Scientific Method to Investigate the Effects

question 194

Multiple Choice

Dr.Emmerson is using the scientific method to investigate the effects of social media on empathy.He predicts that people who spend more time on social media will score lower on a test of empathy than people who spend less time on social media.What is the next thing that Dr.Emmerson should do?

• A) Observe people in their daily lives after they go on social media.
• B) Develop a hypothesis about what social media time will do to empathy.
• C) Test his hypothesis in a controlled environment.
• D) Come up with a theory about the effects of social media on empathy.

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Definitions:

Empiricism

The theory that knowledge comes primarily from sensory experience and that scientific methods should rely on observation and experimentation.

Variable

Something in the world that can vary and that a researcher can manipulate (change), measure (evaluate), or both.

Social Psychology

The scientific study of how individuals think, feel, and behave in a social context, encompassing a broad range of topics such as attitudes, group behavior, and social perception.

Developmental Psychology

The scientific study of how and why human beings change over the course of their life.