Andrea M. Karkowski

Behavioral Sciences Department

Capital University

One College and Main

Columbus, OH 43209 USA

Phone: 614.236.6449

Email: akarkows@capital.edu

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10 Foundational Questions that Educated People Should be able to Ask and Answer when Evaluating Evidence*

Adapted from Neil Lutsky (NITOP 2007)

1. What do the numbers show?
2. How representative are the numbers?
3. Compared to what?
4. Is the outcome statistically significant (and what does it mean if it is, or isn't)?
5. What is the effect size?
6. Are the results of a single study or of a literature?
7. What is the research design (e.g., correlational or experimental)?
8. How were the variables operationalized?
9. Who is in the sample?
10. What was controlled (and what was not controlled)?

*Behavioral Science Statistics helps students to ask and answer questions 1 - 5. Psychological Research Methods helps students to ask and answer questions 6 - 10. Experimental Psychology helps students to generalize their ability to ask and answer all 10 questions.

Quotes

"Caring does not mean pleasing students. To us it means respecting and engaging students in search for truths, even when it may be uncomfortable... To us, caring involves the courage to provide constructive criticism to enable students to understand expectations."

--Akyes & Sandoval, educators, 2004

"Not many appreciate the ultimate power and potential usefulness of basic knowledge accumulated by obscure, unseen investigators who, in a lifetime of intensive study, may never see any practical use for their findings but who go on seeking answers to the unknown without thought of financial or practical gain."

-- Eugenie Clark, marine biologist, 1969