Cognitive map Overview[edit] Cognitive maps serve the construction and accumulation of spatial knowledge, allowing the "mind's eye" to visualize images in order to reduce cognitive load, enhance recall and learning of information. This type of spatial thinking can also be used as a metaphor for non-spatial tasks, where people performing non-spatial tasks involving memory and imaging use spatial knowledge to aid in processing the task.[6] The neural correlates of a cognitive map have been speculated to be the place cell system in the hippocampus[7] and the recently discovered grid cells in the entorhinal cortex.[8] Neurological basis[edit] Cognitive mapping is believed to largely be a function of the hippocampus. Numerous studies by O'Keefe have implicated the involvement of place cells. Parallel map theory[edit] Generation[edit] The cognitive map is generated from a number of sources, both from the visual system and elsewhere. History[edit] The idea of a cognitive map was first developed by Edward C.
Variable From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Variable may refer to: Thomas Kuhn Thomas Samuel Kuhn (/ˈkuːn/; July 18, 1922 – June 17, 1996) was an American physicist, historian, and philosopher of science whose controversial 1962 book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions was deeply influential in both academic and popular circles, introducing the term "paradigm shift", which has since become an English-language staple. Life[edit] Kuhn was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Samuel L. Kuhn, an industrial engineer, and Minette Stroock Kuhn. Thomas Kuhn was married twice, first to Kathryn Muhs with whom he had three children, then to Jehane Barton Burns (Jehane R. Kuhn was an agnostic.[4] His family was Jewish on both sides. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions[edit] The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (SSR) was originally printed as an article in the International Encyclopedia of Unified Science, published by the logical positivists of the Vienna Circle. Polanyi–Kuhn debate[edit] Thomas Kuhn Paradigm Shift Award[edit] Honors[edit] Bibliography[edit] References[edit]
Quantitative research In social sciences, quantitative research is widely used in psychology, economics, sociology, marketing, community health, health & human development, gender and political science, and less frequently in anthropology and history. Research in mathematical sciences such as physics is also 'quantitative' by definition, though this use of the term differs in context. In the social sciences, the term relates to empirical methods, originating in both philosophical positivism and the history of statistics, which contrast with qualitative research methods. Qualitative methods produce information only on the particular cases studied, and any more general conclusions are only hypotheses. Quantitative methods can be used to verify which of such hypotheses are true. A comprehensive analysis of 1274 articles published in the top two American sociology journals between 1935 and 2005 found that roughly two thirds of these articles used quantitative methods.[2] Overview[edit] Use of statistics[edit]
Experiment Even very young children perform rudimentary experiments in order to learn about the world. An experiment is an orderly procedure carried out with the goal of verifying, refuting, or establishing the validity of a hypothesis. Controlled experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when a particular factor is manipulated. Controlled experiments vary greatly in their goal and scale, but always rely on repeatable procedure and logical analysis of the results. There also exist natural experimental studies. A child may carry out basic experiments to understand the nature of gravity, while teams of scientists may take years of systematic investigation to advance the understanding of a phenomenon. Overview[edit] In the scientific method, an experiment is an empirical method that arbitrates between competing models or hypotheses.[1][2] Experimentation is also used to test existing theories or new hypotheses in order to support them or disprove them.[3][4]
Thick description In anthropology and other fields, a thick description of a human behavior is one that explains not just the behavior, but its context as well, such that the behavior becomes meaningful to an outsider. The term was used by the anthropologist Clifford Geertz in his The Interpretation of Cultures (1973) to describe his own method of doing ethnography (Geertz 1973:5-6, 9-10). Since then, the term and the methodology it represents has gained currency in the social sciences and beyond. Today, "thick description" is used in a variety of fields, including the type of literary criticism known as New Historicism. In his essay "Thick Description: Toward an Interpretive Theory of Culture" (1973), Geertz explains that he adopted the term from philosopher Gilbert Ryle, specifically his lecture "What is le Penseur doing?" Adoption[edit] Geertz is revered for his pioneering field methods and clear, accessible prose writing style. See also[edit] References[edit] [edit] Bibliography[edit] Geertz, Clifford.
Multivariable calculus (multiple variables) Typical operations[edit] Limits and continuity[edit] A study of limits and continuity in multivariable calculus yields many counter-intuitive results not demonstrated by single-variable functions. For example, there are scalar functions of two variables with points in their domain which give a particular limit when approached along any arbitrary line, yet give a different limit when approached along a parabola. For example, the function approaches zero along any line through the origin. , it has a limit of 0.5. Continuity in each argument is not sufficient for multivariate continuity: For instance, in the case of a real-valued function with two real-valued parameters, , continuity of in for fixed and continuity of does not imply continuity of . It is easy to check that all real-valued functions (with one real-valued argument) that are given by are continuous in (for any fixed ). are continuous as is symmetric with regards to and . itself is not continuous as can be seen by considering the sequence if
Triangulation (social science) In the social sciences, triangulation is often used to indicate that two (or more) methods are used in a study in order to check the results. "The concept of triangulation is borrowed from navigational and land surveying techniques that determine a single point in space with the convergence of measurements taken from two other distinct points. Triangulation is a powerful technique that facilitates validation of data through cross verification from two or more sources. It can be used in both quantitative (validation) and qualitative (inquiry) studies.It is a method-appropriate strategy of founding the credibility of qualitative analyses.It becomes an alternative to traditional criteria like reliability and validity.It is the preferred line in the social sciences. The purpose of triangulation in qualitative research is to increase the credibility and validity of the results. Denzin (1978) identified four basic types of triangulation:[6] Jump up ^ Rothbauer, Paulette (2008) "Triangulation."
Control variable The term control variable has different meanings, depending on the area/place in which it is used. The control variable is something that is constant and unchanged in an experiment. Further, a control variable strongly influences values; it is held constant to test the relative impact of independent variables. Experimental examples[edit] In scientific experimentation, a control variable is the one element that must not be changed throughout an experiment because it also affects the other independent variables being tested, thus affecting the outcome of the experiment. For example, in the experimental verification of Boyle's law (P = T / V), where Pressure, Temperature, and Volume are all variables; to test the resultant changes to any of these variables requires at least one of the other variables to be kept constant. In control theory[edit] In control theory, controlled variables are the variables that are input into the control system. In computer programming[edit] Examples[edit]
Dichotomy A dichotomy is a partition of a whole (or a set) into two parts (subsets) that are: jointly exhaustive: everything must belong to one part or the other, andmutually exclusive: nothing can belong simultaneously to both parts. Such a partition is also frequently called a bipartition. Treating continuous variables or multicategorical variables as binary variables is called dichotomization. The discretization error inherent in dichotomization is temporarily ignored for modeling purposes. Etymology[edit] The term dichotomy derived from the Greek language [ διχοτομία ']'dichotomia' "dividing in two" from δίχα dicha "in two, asunder" and τομή tome "a cutting, incision". Usage[edit] See also[edit] Notes and references[edit] External links[edit] The dictionary definition of dichotomy at Wiktionary
by raviii Oct 1
Hypothesis - Although it is more usually associated with studies in which a hypothesis (for example, the idea that variable A is related to or affects variable B/) is subjected to rigorous testing generally using a controlled experiment or quasi-experiment, it is perfectly legitimate for a hypothesis (that is, an assertion about the 'truth' of some psychosocial fact) to be explored or even tested through the use of qualitative research. A hypothesis is a testable proposition.
Found in: Davies, M. (2007) Doing a Successful Research Project: Using Qualitative or Quantitative Methods. Basingstoke, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN: 9781403993793. by raviii Jul 31
Hypothesis - A formal statement made about the predicted relationship between variables in a research study, which is directly tested by the researcher. Generally linked to deductive reasoning.
Found in: Glossary of Key Terms: by raviii Jul 31
Hypotheses arise by guesswork or by inspiration, but having been formulated they can and must be tested rigorously, using the appropriate methodology. by raviii Apr 28
Hypotheses provide the initiative and incentive for the inquiry and influence the method. It is in the light of an expectation that some observations are held to be relevant and some irrelevant, that one methodology is chosen and others discarded, that some experiments are conducted and others are not. by raviii Apr 28
There is no such thing as unbiased observation. Every act of observation we make is a function of what we have seen or otherwise experienced in the past. All scientific work of an experimental or exploratory nature starts with some expectation about the outcome. This expectation is a hypothesis. by raviii Apr 28
to come up with a hypothesis, you have to have some sort of theory already. by raviii Feb 18