...myself and iBottom of Form The Scientific Method Psychology is, like any science, a branch of knowledge that deals with a body of facts systematically arranged and shows the operation of general laws. In all sciences, including psychology, a special procedure, the scientific method, must be used to collect data to answer a question or to solve a problem. The scientific method not only answers the question at hand but also is used to construct scientific theories. A theory is systematically organized knowledge applicable in a wide variety of circumstances. (The amount of information available in any science is too vast to be useful unless it is organized through the use of theories.) Theories are also used to predict events or to answer questions in a specific scientific discipline. In psychology, theories are used to organize and predict behavior and mental processes. The findings of a particular study may support or lead to the alteration of a theory.While the scientific method doesn't provide a step-by-step recipe for dealing with specific circumstances, it does provide general guidelines for the following procedures in any scientific data collection. Formulation of the problem, design of the study, collection of data, analysis of data, conclusions drawn from data. The description of a study, its procedures, and its conclusions is frequently published as an article in a scientific journal. Careful attention to following the scientific method allows a second investigator to replicate or refute the...
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...Educational Gerontology, 40: 655–665, 2014 Copyright # Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 0360-1277 print / 1521-0472 online DOI: 10.1080/03601277.2013.863573 Gaps in Alzheimer’s Knowledge Among College Students Elaine M. Eshbaugh School of Applied Human Sciences, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa, USA Despite the prevalence of the disease, it appears that there may be a need for increased education for formal and family caregivers of those with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Today’s college students will be asked to fill both of these roles in the future. This study examined the level of knowledge of Alzheimer’s disease among college students. Two-hundred college students at a mid-sized midwestern university completed an online survey that included the Alzheimer’s Disease Knowledge Scale (Carpenter et al., 2009). Although most participants knew that people with Alzheimer’s remember things from the distant past better than more recent events, many college students were unfamiliar with risk factors and average life expectancy. Implications and recommendations for educational programs and curriculum are discussed. Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias are significant health concerns affecting our older adult population (Sullivan & Muscat, 2007). As our population continues to age and our demography shifts to higher proportions of elders, the number of individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and dementia continues to increase. Although...
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