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20.3: Making Predictions

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    Before we can move on to data collection, we need to know what data we are looking for. To do this, we take our hypothesis and ask ourselves, “if this is true, what should we expect to see?” These expectations about what the world should look like if our hypothesis is true are our predictions. A prediction typically takes the form: if such and such test conditions are realized, then such and such should result. The more precise our predictions are, the easier it will be for us to collect and evaluate our data, but this may not always be possible. If we are making predictions about something we already know a lot about, we are often able to be relatively precise, “we expect to see this drug reduce HIV transmission rates by x” is a prediction, but so is, “we expect to see lower cholesterol among vegans compared to non-vegans”.

    This page titled 20.3: Making Predictions is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Jason Southworth & Chris Swoyer via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.