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The Scientific Method

© Copyright 1999, Jim Loy

Science is the process of observing nature (and performing and observing experiments) and deducing natural laws. But there are traps, which lead to false deductions. And so a general method has evolved which more or less prevents scientists from falling into these traps. This general method is called the Scientific Method:

1. Information (data) is gathered by observation of the phenomenon being studied.
2. A hypothesis (preliminary generalization) is formed to perhaps explain the data.
3. Deductions and implications from the hypothesis suggest further observations and experiments to test the hypothesis.
4. Based on these tests, the hypothesis is either rejected or accepted.

This is an ongoing process. The results may suggest further observations and experiments, or they may suggest an alternative hypothesis. Along with this method, a scientific attitude is also important:

1. The scientist tries to be impartial.
2. Measurements are more reliable than subjective results.
3. Experiments are designed to test (disprove), not just confirm.
4. Data are recorded so they can be studied, and so the experiments can be replicated.
5. Certain common errors (like contamination or experimenter bias) are guarded against.
6. Statistical analysis is used to study the data.

The Scientific Method is not a checklist that scientists consciously follow. It is implied in the way they do science.

Sometimes it may seem that errors occur, as a false hypothesis survives for a long time. Sometimes there actually are errors, and even fraud. But mostly, the false paths are natural, and are corrected eventually, merely by further testing. Sometimes, this may involve looking at the situation from an entirely different perspective.

Richard Feynman simplified the definition of science like this: "Observation is the ultimate and final judge of the truth of an idea." The rest of science, the method (or methods) and attitude are designed to help you avoid mistakes when you observe.

Note: I plan to show a couple of examples, later.

Addendum #1:

Robert Park, in Voodoo Science, describes the scientific attitude like this:

1. Expose new ideas and results to independent testing and replication by other scientists.
2. Abandon or modify accepted facts or theories in the light of more complete or reliable experimental evidence.

The Skeptical Inquirer is a scientific magazine about weird ideas (astrology, UFO's, the Bermuda triangle, etc.). The expression "skeptical inquirer" implies not some dogmatic skepticism, but an open-minded skepticism. The scientist is (usually) skeptical of nearly everything that is new, but is willing to be convinced by evidence, and change his/her mind.

Addendum #2:

In Reading Between the Numbers by Joseph Tal, a book about statistics, we have this list, describing "statistical reasoning":

1. Ask a question.
2. Design a study and specify its measures.
3. Collect data and describe them.
4. Simplify the data.
5. Interpret the data.
6. Generalize the findings.

That sounds quite a bit like the scientific method.

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