The document describes the scientific method as it applies to psycholinguistics. It discusses the key aspects of the scientific method including forming hypotheses, testing hypotheses through controlled experiments, analyzing results, and reporting findings. The scientific method seeks objective, empirical evidence and aims to falsify hypotheses rather than prove them. It values evidence that can be confirmed independently and discounts personal testimonies. Deductive and inductive reasoning are both important to the scientific method.

1. The Scientific Method Applied
to Psycholinguistics
LCD 105 – Class 8 – Professor Nathacia

2. In "The Analytical Language of John Wilkins," Borges describes 'a certain Chinese
Encyclopedia,' the Celestial Emporium of Benevolent Knowledge, in which it is written
that animals are divided into:
1. those that belong to the Emperor,
2. embalmed ones,
3. those that are trained,
4. suckling pigs,
5. mermaids,
6. fabulous ones,
7. stray dogs,
8. those included in the present classification,
9. those that tremble as if they were mad,
10. innumerable ones,
11. those drawn with a very fine camelhair brush,
12. others,
13. those that have just broken a flower vase,
14. those that from a long way off look like flies.
This classification has been used by many writers. It "shattered all the familiar
landmarks of his thought" for Michel Foucault. Anthropologists and ethnographers,
German teachers, postmodern feminists, Australian museum curators, and artists quote
it. The list of people influenced by the list has the same heterogeneous character as the
list itself.

3. • Scientific Method is the systematic attempt of turning
those limitations around.
• It is the set of procedures to help us on the task of not
getting fooled by ourselves.
• Science seeks objective measures that can be
confirmed in independent events.
• It demands evidences
open to public judgement.
• Personal testimonies are
under valued.

4. • Reason as source of
knowledge
• Intellectual
• Methods of reasoning:
§ Intuition
§ Deduction
§ Induction
§ Abduction
• Experience as source
of knowledge
• Sensory
• Empirical methods:
§ Observation
§ Experimentation
Rationalism Empiricism

5. DEDUCTION
Deductive reasoning is when one gets to
a particular truth from a more general
one. Therefore, when we include a more
specific fact into a more general one, we
are reasoning through deduction.
1) A always equals B (general fact, also
known by first premise);
2) There is an X that equals A (particular
case or second premise);
3) Therefore, this X equals B
(conclusion).

6. Inductive reasoning is when we go the
opposite way: observing particular cases,
isolated, we look for a pattern, or a general
rule that can explain and be applied to all
observed cases.
1)All observed As equal B (data
observation, isolated facts);
2)Therefore, all A equals B.
INDUCTION

7. Deductive reasoning: immediate inferences, syllogism or
conditional argumentation.
All animals are mortal
All men are animals
Therefore, all men are mortal
Inductive reasoning: from particular cases to general inferences;
predictions.
Copper conducts electricity.
Iron conducts electricity.
Silver conducts electricity.
Gold conducts electricity.
Copper, iron, silver and gold are metals.
Metals are electrical conductors.
DEDUCTION VS. INDUCTION

8. Are you able to solve this case?
A man was found dead Sunday morning.
His wife called the cops immediately. The officer questioned the wife and the
employees and registered their alibi:
The woman said she was sleeping.
The chef said he was cooking the brunch.
The gardener said he was getting vegetables outside.
The maid said she was getting the mails outside.
The waiter said he was cleaning the kitchen floor that was dirty with mud
from the gardener’s boots.
The police arrested the murderer immediately. Who was the murder and
why?

9. Vídeo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X8Xfl0JdTQ

10. POPPER:
A theory is only scientific when it is
refutable by a conceivable event.
The aim is not to prove a hypothesis right,
but to prove it wrong.
The point is the more you fail in prove your
hypothesis wrong, the more it is reliable
(probability).
It is true just for that moment under that
conditions.
FALSIFYABILITY

11. Problem
(Initial) Question
Background
investigation
Hypothesis
formulation
Testing through
Experiments
Result
Analysis
Report
Hypothesis
being confirmed
Hypothesis
being negated
Try
again!
Popper’s
Functional Space
Observation

12. Problem
Initial (question)
When we observe the world with “virgin eyes”,
events can be questioned. And when we
question an event, we give the first step toward a
scientific investigation.
I have a car which I use daily.
This week, I put on some Premium gas from
Exxon and it seems that it is taking longer for
my car to run out of gas again.

13. Background
investigation
When we question something we observed
in the world, a new observation process takes
place. A more systematic and specialized
one, that might help us understand better
what is going on.
- Gas composition
- Motor of my car
- Comment about my suspecting with other
people

14. Hypothesis
formulation
When we question an event and engage in a
deeper observation, we are able to
formulate a hypothesis about that event,
give possible explanations. We also take as
true some hypothesis formulated by others
that we found during our background
investigation.
Premium gas from Exxon burns slower than
others in 1.8 sport cars

15. Testing with
Experiments
A hypothesis have only some chance of
being a good explanation to a phenomenon.
Therefore, we need to test the phenomenon
to see if our hypothesis isn’t false, or built
upon wrong facts/ assumptions.
Independent Variables are factors involved
with the event that may be involved in the
explanation to the phenomenon.
Therefore, it is the set of factors that can
be manipulated on testing.

16. Independent Variables
1.Type of gas with similar features by brand
Premium from Exxon
Premium from Conoco
Premium from Mobil
2. Type of car (place of original design) to
similar models (1.8 sport)
Asian
European
American
Testing with
Experiments

17. To test all factors, in all possible combinations, what should we do?
Factorial combination!
Premium from
Exxon (X)
Premium from
Conoco (C)
Premium from
Mobil (M)
Asian (A) XA CA MA
European (E) XE CE ME
American (U) XU CU MU
Testing with
Experiments

18. Dependent Variables are factors that are
altered by the test, during testing. But not
ANY altered factor, only those that tell us
something about what we are testing and
about our initial hypothesis. They are the
set of factors that we measure. They
depend on what kind of testing we are
conducting.
What can we measure to understand if the
Premium Gas from Exxon burns slower than
others? How can we test that?
Testing with
Experiments

19. Result
Analysis
Hypothesis is
being confirmed
Hypothesis is
being negated
After we run the tests, we have to observe our results, through analysis
of the measures of our dependent variables.
In order to see the bigger picture, mathematical calculus and statistics
may (and must) help us.
Many times, knowledge about other things and events in the world can
help us understand and analise our results.
Our results will support or negate our hypothesis.

20. Report
A very important part of the method is the
report. It is thought to register all the details
about that experimentation, and to discuss
our opinions and reasoning on the results.

21. Back to
Hypothesis
When we go back to our hypothesis, either to rethink it
because it failed, or to test further, we have to think of
all the things we didn't measure or that we didn't
controlled.

22. What are some other factors that we could
control or measure?
Independent Variables:
- Year of manufacturing
- Type of road
- Type of gas
Controls:
- Same driver
- Gas station
- Year of manufacturing
Dependent Variables:
- Dust in motor
- Filters
- Power/ Performance
Back to
Hypothesis