Difference between revisions of "Variables - evolving interpretations of reality"

Revision as of 21:08, 15 February 2009

Variables - evolving interpretations of reality is a lecture about what variables are and how they are developed.

Scope

Purpose: To describe what variables are, what do they describe and why, and how variables are developed and used.

Intended audience: Researchers (especially at doctoral student level) in any field of science (mainly natural, not social scientists).

Duration: 2 x 1 hour 15 minutes

Definition

The lecture consists of two parts: the first discussing what variables are and what are they for, the second part discusses how variables are developed and used.

In order to understand this lecture it is recommended to first acquaint oneself with the following lectures:

• Open assessment in research
• Assessments - science-based decision support
• Science necessitates collaboration
• Evaluating assessment performance

Objectives:

• Learn the basic structure of an information object.
• Learn what variables are: independent, eternally developing descriptions of reality.
• Learn that the ultimate criterion of a variable is the truth.
• Learn the differences and similarities of a variable, assessment, study, and encyclopedia article.
• Learn how to use the variable definition as your information storage.
• Learn how to make a new synthesis when new information comes up (in Bayesian language: to update your prior).
• Learn how to handle variables that are partially or totally overlapping.

Result

Presentation Open assessment - variables.ppt.

Part I:

• Variable:
  • evolving descriptions
  • descriptions of reality
  • interpretations based on synthesized information
• Variable structure
  • scope - research question determined by practical need
  • definition - how to answer the question most truthlikely
  • result - answer to the question, outcome of executing definition

Part II:

• collection of information %rarr; data
• synthesis of information → formula → result
• organization of information &rarr: information structure, assessment