When an initial research question has already been extensively studied, it can still be refined to produce novel scientific insights by altering how the core variables are defined, measured, or contextualized. For example, while previous studies have shown that male and female university students in the United States and Mexico speak roughly the same number of words per day, a researcher could refine the question by measuring talkativeness differently—such as tracking the number of different people a participant speaks to daily. Another refinement strategy involves shifting the target population, such as investigating whether the same gender similarities in talkativeness hold true for elderly populations or for individuals from entirely different cultures.