An example of the predictive goal in science is forecasting that a person using medical marijuana is likely experiencing pain. By relying on the strong, previously documented relationship between marijuana use and pain management, researchers can predict this specific physical condition with an accuracy that surpasses random chance.

Predicting Pain in Medical Marijuana Users

The third and ultimate objective of science is to explain phenomena. This goal involves determining the precise causes of behavior by moving beyond mere observation and prediction. Researchers strive to uncover and isolate the underlying mechanisms and causal relationships to understand exactly why and how an event occurs.

Explanatory Goal of Science

What is the primary focus of the predictive goal of science?

The second major objective of science is to predict. Once researchers have systematically observed that two events or behaviors regularly occur together, they can utilize this correlation to forecast whether an event will happen in a specific situation. Although these predictions may not be perfectly accurate, a strong relationship enables predictions that have a significantly greater than chance accuracy.

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Scientific research in psychology and other disciplines aims to achieve three primary objectives. The first is to describe phenomena through careful observation. The second is to predict future events by identifying systematic relationships between variables. The final objective is to explain these phenomena by determining their underlying causal mechanisms.

The Three Goals of Science

The initial and most fundamental objective of science is to describe phenomena. This goal is accomplished by conducting careful, rigorous, and systematic observations to accurately document what behaviors or events are occurring. This meticulous documentation forms the foundational basis required before researchers can attempt to predict future occurrences or explain underlying causes.

Descriptive Goal of Science

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KPU Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition

Predictive Goal of Science

The selection of a research methodology is fundamentally guided by the specific goals of the scientific inquiry. When a researcher's objective is to explain a phenomenon by establishing a causal relationship, an experimental approach is generally preferred. Conversely, when the research goal is simply to describe a variable or to predict outcomes based on naturally occurring associations, a non-experimental approach is the appropriate strategy.

Matching Research Approaches to Scientific Goals

Match each of the three primary goals of scientific research with its corresponding objective.

A practical illustration of science's descriptive goal is the use of surveys to document the conditions medical marijuana patients are treating. Through systematic observation of self-reported data, researchers accurately identified that pain is the predominant symptom treated with marijuana, followed by anxiety and depression, purely documenting the phenomenon without investigating the underlying causes.

Surveying Medical Marijuana Patients

According to the fundamental objectives of science, what must researchers do before they can attempt to predict future occurrences or explain underlying causes?

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