Case Study

Based on the text's description of the predictive goal of science, explain why the lead researcher's statement is scientifically justified rather than just a random guess. What underlying principle from the text allows them to accurately forecast the patients' physical condition?

Case context: A clinical research team is reviewing intake forms at a new health clinic. They notice that a large majority of incoming patients have checked a box indicating regular 'medical marijuana use.' Without looking at the patients' actual medical diagnoses, the lead researcher states, 'I predict that most of these individuals are experiencing some form of chronic or acute pain.'

Question: Based on the text's description of the predictive goal of science, explain why the lead researcher's statement is scientifically justified rather than just a random guess. What underlying principle from the text allows them to accurately forecast the patients' physical condition?

Sample answer: The lead researcher's statement is justified because the predictive goal of science allows researchers to use known patterns to forecast outcomes. The underlying principle is that there is a strong, previously documented relationship between medical marijuana use and pain management. Because this relationship is established in the literature, forecasting that these specific patients are in pain has an accuracy that surpasses random chance.

Key points:

  • The researcher is utilizing a known, previously documented relationship.
  • The documented relationship is specifically between marijuana use and pain management.
  • Basing predictions on this established relationship ensures the forecast is more accurate than random chance.

Rubric: A complete answer must explain that the prediction is based on a previously documented relationship between the variables, and must state that this relationship is what allows the prediction to surpass random chance accuracy.

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Updated 2026-05-27

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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU

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