This article develops a set-theoretic approach to Bayes's theorem and Bayesian process tracing. In the approach, hypothesis testing is the procedure whereby one updates beliefs by narrowing the range of states of the world that are regarded as possible, thus diminishing the domain in which the actual world can reside. By explicitly connecting…

The motivation for this paper is the authors' recent work on several randomized control trials in which they found the primary result, which averaged across subgroups or sites, to be moderated by demographic or site characteristics. They are led to examine a distinction that the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) makes between "confirmatory"…

Two basic data sources required for research studies have been secondary and primary. Secondary data collection helps the researcher to provide relevant background to the study and are, in most cases, available for retrieval from recorded sources. Primary data collection requires the researcher to venture into the field where the study is to take…

A fairly large number of different methods exist for evaluating comparisons or null hypothetical contrasts. Because it is difficult to choose among them, this paper develops a 2 by 2 classification of the methods. The first dimension of the classification is decision-based error rate vs. experimentwise error rate. The second dimension is planned…

The latency to classify a test item as not being from a memorized list of category words is usually slower when the test items are categorically related to memorized words than when they are unrelated. This observation has been explained by four models of recognition, which are evaluated here. (Editor/RK)

The hypothesis is the device scientists use to translate questions, theories, or proposed explanations into a form amenable to empirical research. This edition of W. W. Charter's treatise on clear, conceptual definitions and precise operational hypotheses, which was originally developed to assist students in educational policy and management…

Hypotheses stated in 98 articles from 10 journals were classified as follows: explicit--26; clearly implied--22; loosely implied--22; and nonexistent--28. A trend toward clearer statements from 1966 to 1976 was confounded with a trend toward more experimental studies. There were four null statements and no statistical statements. (CP)

The present study examined the immediate and delayed effects of unobtrusive exposure to personality trait terms (e.g., "reckless,""persistent") on subjects' subsequent judgments and recollection of information about another person. The implications of individual and situational variation in the accessibility of different categories for judgments…

The lateral eye movement paradigm was employed to test the hypothesis that narrow categorizers, who are believed to be more analytic in information processing, make characteristic use of the left hemisphere, while broad categorizers, being more holistic, depend more on the right hemisphere. Results are discussed in terms of cerebral specialization…

Review of rural social work literature of the 1970's indicates research has primarly followed the naturalistic model defined by Taylor, rather than the positivist approach favored by Fischer. Discussed are: surveys and case studies; ethnographies; participatory/action research; historical research; positivistic research; hypothesis testing…

Two experiments explored the question of when people will respond to negative labels by confirming them and when they will respond by disconfirming them. (Editor)

Statistical methods are described for diagnosing and treating three important problems in covariate tests of significance: curvilinearity, covariable effectiveness, and treatment-covariable interaction. Six major assumptions, prerequisites for covariate procedure, are discussed in detail: (1) normal distribution, (2) homogeneity of variances, (3)…

Explains the use of contingency tables as a tool in assessing variables to determine whether a relationship exists. Develops an example hypothesis step-by-step, noting the scientific processes and attitudes being addressed. Cautions that a large difference, which suggests a relationship, is not explanation since correlation does not guarantee…

Evaluation of an individual's progress in an academic or training program requires evaluation of his achievement of a collection of behavioral objectives. The nature of the terminal behavior often imposes a hierarchy on the enabling and entering behaviors that can be used to lend additional meaning to classification of the learner's performance,…

The 7th International Conference on Education Data Mining held on July 4th-7th, 2014, at the Institute of Education, London, UK is the leading international forum for high-quality research that mines large data sets in order to answer educational research questions that shed light on the learning process. These data sets may come from the traces…