Cheese 8899 Share Posted March 3, 2025 THOUGHTS ON HOW TO PROPERLY DEVELOP AND TEST HYPOTHESES ✧⥼─────────༻❁༺─────────⥽✧ ISSUED BY THE COUNTESS OF ROSEMOOR In the year of 151 B.A. IN MY RECENT STUDIES OF diplomacy and international affairs, I was brought to the attention of a thought provoking study conducted by PRINCE OWYN OF RAVENMIRE. The experiment was conducted with two musin participants who were tasked with navigating a maze with or without the help of a compass. The results yielded that the musin who was not overly focused on the tool it was given was more easily able to complete the maze and achieve its reward, while the former was unable to move the obstacles despite the instrument it was given. NOW INSPIRED BY HIS HIGHNESS’S valiant and in depth research regarding the musin psyche in comparison to that of descendent kind, I have taken it on myself to propose my own thoughts on the nature of science and the nature of psychological studies. Spoiler Do you guys think my psychology professors will give me extra credit in my research & design class for this? ✧⥼─────────────────༻❁༺─────────────────⥽✧ I. EXPERIMENTS VERSUS FIELD RESEARCH How valid is each? ✧⥼─────────༻❁༺─────────⥽✧ ONE OF THE FIRST STEPS in considering the design of one’s study should be, of course, to determine if it should be conducted in a controlled environment or observed among everyday life. The former, most commonly referred to as an experiment, should provide highly valid results if all confounding factors are taken into consideration and controlled for. For example, in The Salvan and the Musin (Rostova, 2018), His Highness made sure to find musin of similar size, put them in the same maze, and gave them the same amount of time to complete the maze. The only variable that was different between the two was the experimental group who was given a compass. To have taken these things into consideration is commendable of the researcher, and, with significant results from His Highness in his conclusion, offers a more accurate insight to the true nature of the musin. HOWEVER, THERE IS A SECOND type of study, known as field research, that takes into consideration other confounding factors that are caused by an overly controlled and artificial environment. For example, how often does one truly find a musin within a maze? Or, we might ask, does the knowledge that the musin is being studied impact how they behave before the researchers? We may yield results more accurate to the entire population of musin by observing how they would navigate obstacles and “mazes” in the real world, where they are unaware they are being observed. In addition, environmental factors that couldn’t be controlled for may have skewed the data of The Salvan and the Musin. What these possible factors may have been were left out of the original study, so it is difficult for one to properly speculate on the impact such variables had on the experiment. TO DECIDE BETWEEN CONTROLLED EXPERIMENTS and field research depends largely on the theory and hypothesis of the research. For we, nor musin, do not live within highly controlled environments, the external validity of The Salvan and the Musin may be called into question. We also do not know the particular accuracy of the study due to its vague description of the research methods used and the factors that could have impacted data beyond the independent and dependent variables. ✧⥼─────────────────༻❁༺─────────────────⥽✧ II. GENERALIZATION The population of interest & sample methods. ✧⥼─────────༻❁༺─────────⥽✧ AS STATED BY HIS HIGHNESS in The Salvan and the Musin, the sample for his study consisted of two musin of similar stature. However, in his final discussion of the study and its results, His Highness compared the findings of his study to the nature of the Salvan people. This begs the question, what is the population of interest? Was this study truly about musin and their cognitive abilities, or the political instability of a realm that has gone long without a stable ruler. And, perhaps more importantly, are the cognitive abilities of musin comparable to the people of Salvo? Disregarding any personal biases towards the Salvan people, this experiment is not generalizable to a different, more intellectually advanced race as humanity. FURTHER BEYOND THE QUESTIONABILITY OF which population was truly meant to be observed and reported, the sampling methods used have piqued my own curiosity. Firstly, the sample size of two is terribly small; this study would be closer to a case study than a full fledged experiment. With only one trial as well, there’s nothing to compare the results of this specific trial to. This study cannot be deemed reliable with only one trial, and without reliability, it’s impossible to vouch for the legitimacy of the results. IN ADDITION TO THE INSUFFICIENT size of this study, the methods used to select this sample are unclear, as it wasn’t included in the study. If the participating musin were chosen out of convenience or volunteering, the sample is even less representative of the population of all musin due to the bias of their selection. Furthermore, it was unspecified if the musin volunteered of their own will to participate. This calls into question the ethics of participant selection. ✧⥼─────────────────༻❁༺─────────────────⥽✧ III. PROCEDURES AND ETHICS The research methods used & their morality. ✧⥼─────────༻❁༺─────────⥽✧ WHILE READING THE ORIGINAL STUDY of The Salvan and the Musin, I found myself particularly mulling over the methods used to collect this data. Firstly, I was interested in the usage of a compass in the experiment. What was the reason for selecting this particular tool in the experimental group? Was the musin properly educated on how to use a compass? If the answer to the latter question is no, then this study was unfortunately rigged and entirely invalid to begin with; the researcher may as well have given the musin a rock. It is difficult for me to properly speculate on this aspect of the study, however, due to the vague description of the study’s intentions and research methods. WHAT I HAVE PERSONALLY PERCEIVED to be of more dire concern than the research methods, however, are the ethics (or lack thereof) brought into play. As described in the original study, both musin were kept in the maze for five days; the one given a compass was unable to find the cheese over this period of time, and was thus left to starve for a near week. To subject any creature, but especially a fully sentient one, to cruelty such as starvation in the name of science is, in my opinion, absolutely void of morality. Even if musin are not descendents, they are still creatures GOD made himself, and they deserve to be treated with the autonomy and graciousness that we would all other creations of the LORD. It did warm my heart, however, to see that the second mouse without a compass found itself willing to retrieve cheese for its brethren to ensure its survival when it was unable to navigate the maze itself. ✧⥼─────────────────༻❁༺─────────────────⥽✧ IV. CONCLUSIVE THOUGHTS Final discussions on the nature of The Salvan and the Musin. ✧⥼─────────༻❁༺─────────⥽✧ THE STUDY OF THE SALVAN and the Musin was certainly an interesting one to read. It truly made me think about how we, as humanity, are able to best inquire about our world and how we navigate it. To design and execute a study borne solely of curiosity and love for learning, rather than a way to prove one’s own confirmation bias, is difficult indeed. AS AN ASPIRING SCHOLAR MYSELF, I have thoroughly enjoyed being able to see another mind of science in Ravenmire, Prince Owyn. It is my hope that we may both grow in our search for knowledge, and I do hope that perhaps one day, we may have another scholarly discourse such as this. I would appreciate it if you wished to write to me about such, Your Highness. REFERENCES: The Salvan and the Musin, Rostova, Owyn. 2018. HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, AMADEA CASIMIRA TARA, Princess-Royal of Balian, Countess of Rosemoor. With the sponsorship of, HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS, LOTHAR CASIMIR JAMES, Prince of Monterosa, Duke of Atrus. 26 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travisty 1020 Share Posted March 3, 2025 Hanzo was pleasantly surprised, finally writing that wouldn’t give him a headache to read, “Thank God there are still intellectuals” 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Based1Salmon 758 Share Posted March 4, 2025 The Baron in question, Peter di Salvo, reads over the rebuttal and quickly pens a reply. To Her Chefness, Amadea of Balian I write to clarify a concern you had within your response to Chef Owyn's original treatise. In regards to the Musin comparison it has been measured by numerous professionals from across Aevos (both in the areas of medicine and natural philosophy) have estimated the intelligence of Lady Elynora af Brasca and her followers to be below the average Musin by a wide margin. This has dragged the measured intelligence of the average Salvian to approximately the level of your average Musin. Otherwise this was an excellent read. With Regards, Peter Alessandria di Salvo, Baron of the Oakenwald, Lord of the Salvians, and Protector of the Salvian People 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yeetboy0206 1574 Share Posted March 4, 2025 Estevot praised the Princess for supporting musin rights. They’re just silly little guys after all. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheese 8899 Author Share Posted March 4, 2025 37 minutes ago, Based1Salmon said: The Baron in question, Peter di Salvo, reads over the rebuttal and quickly pens a reply. To Her Chefness, Amadea of Balian I write to clarify a concern you had within your response to Chef Owyn's original treatise. In regards to the Musin comparison it has been measured by numerous professionals from across Aevos (both in the areas of medicine and natural philosophy) have estimated the intelligence of Lady Elynora af Brasca and her followers to be below the average Musin by a wide margin. This has dragged the measured intelligence of the average Salvian to approximately the level of your average Musin. Otherwise this was an excellent read. With Regards, Peter Alessandria di Salvo, Baron of the Oakenwald, Lord of the Salvians, and Protector of the Salvian People "Why does the Lord of the Salvians call himself stupid? How did they measure the intelligence of the Brascan and musin? Were those samples of substantial quantity?" Amadea rapid fired her questions to the unfortunate courier who delivered the letter. The poor deliveryman could offer no reply but a shrug. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MapleSunflower 1889 Share Posted March 4, 2025 As the missive was delivered to her, Kathryn read over its contents. With each word passed, a smile grew upon her lips until she was beaming like the sun. "My daughter, a shining star, so bright in knowledge and virtue! The intelligence of the sciences lies within her heart and mind!" The Queen then folded the parchment with great care, placing it into a little chest where she kept all the papers and drawings her children had made over the years. "I will have to hug her extra tight and ask her plenty questions at dinner on the subject. How proud I am of my Amadea!" 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeyitsNano 1582 Share Posted March 4, 2025 Prince Owyn of Ravenmire hummed jovially in the palace library, fidgeting a quill betwixt his fingers as he read Amadea’s reply to his works. He smiled and rose the paper closer to his face. ”A work without criticism is no work at all. I knew not there was another so taken by the sciences. Perhaps I will seek this Princess out to discuss this at length.” 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArgentEra 459 Share Posted March 5, 2025 (edited) The grey musin read through the work during a recent visit to Balian to visit their book-shop. After a moment of thought, he reached for a piece of parchment, and penned a reply to the author. "Her Royal Highness Amadea, I greatly appreciate the inclusion in your writings of concerns regarding this recent 'experiment' done on members of Musinkind. We may be few in number, but a great many of us are skilled craftsmen, tradesmen, and the like. This being said, even in the most powerful of nations, some individuals do slip through the cracks when it comes to education or survival ability. This is something that I aim to rectify in the future, at least for those of my own people, if not for all of our race. In time, I do not doubt this pursuit of knowledge will be recognized by the greater world. We are an adventurous, curious lot, and where curiosity begins, invention and understanding is sure to follow. My best of wishes, Quill Runeflower, Prince of the Babblebrook Musin Curator of the Musin Library Edited March 5, 2025 by ArgentEra 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sapphic_spidy 1089 Share Posted March 5, 2025 Castien rants to no one. "I mean, seriously, there was no ounce of content validity. Or internal validity. Or- hell- external validity either! No reliability... Only those who know nothing about research would even consider the Musin study to be reputable." 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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