The scientific method can be described as a circle or a spiral of steps that leads from an initial observation, to a hypothesis, to new observations, to a new hypothesis. For each of the following observations:

a. State a hypothesis that offers a possible explanation for the observed behavior. Note that your hypothesis does not have to be some elaborate, sophisticated, scientific theory. Simply identify a variable that could possibly explain the differences in observed behavior. For example, I observe that some people seem to go through the entire winter without ever getting sick, whereas others seem to suffer constantly from a series of colds and flu. I hypothesize that the differences in winter health are determined by whether people get flu shots.

b. Briefly explain how your hypothesis could be empirically tested. Specifically, use your hypothesis to predict what should be found if you made a set of systematic, planned observations.

Again, you are not proposing a sophisticated experiment. Simply describe what you should find if your hypothesis is right.

For example, at the end of the winter season, I will get a sample of 100 people, and for each person I record (a) how many weeks during the winter they suffered from a cold or the flu, and (b) whether they got a flu shot.

If my hypothesis is right, I should find fewer illnesses in the group that got the shots.

Observation #1: Some students consistently choose to sit in the front of the classroom and others sit in the rear.

Observation #2: In a learning course, each student is given a laboratory rat to train during the semester. Some students are very comfortable handling and working with their rats, and others are very uncomfortable.

Observation #3: Some students try to schedule most of their classes early in the day and other students avoid morning classes as much as possible.