BHS 420 Mod 1 CBT (Quantitative Reasoning) - Essay Example

Running Head: Quantitative Reasoning Quantitative Reasoning: My Expectations, Research Question, and Hypothesis YOUR Quantitative Reasoning: My Expectations, Research Question, and Hypothesis The purpose of this paper is to set forth my expectations in terms of knowledge that will benefit me professionally and personally, as well as state a research question and hypothesis related to my interests.There are three things that I would like to gain for my professional career. First, I would like to learn how to think in a more organized, scientific way.

Some have suggested “that for complete initiation as an efficient citizen of one of the new great complex world wide states that are now developing, it is as necessary to be able to compute, to think in averages and maxima and minima, as it is now to be able to read and to write” (Rossman, 1997, p. 52). I agree with this statement and feel that it is important to learn critical thinking. Secondly, I would like to learn to understand the research process whereby accurate data can be obtained to support or disprove any particular hypothesis.

Finally, I think that the ability to combine both qualitative and quantitative processes to achieve the answer to a research question is a superior approach. While both methods have their independent strengths, I believe that they are best used in combination to balance the data and increase understanding of the results.From a personal standpoint, i.e., outside of my professional career, I think that the knowledge gained from this course will allow me to perceive aspects in my daily life with a more accurate view because I will be constantly thinking about why events have happened.

I will be considering possible explanations and will be equipped to analyze the information I encounter in a logical and reasonable manner; and I think this is applicable to all aspects of life. In writing about sports statistics, Guthrie (1994) stated that people “who are otherwise averse to quantitative reasoning will often become expert analysts when the subject being analyzed is of interest to them. A statistical argument presented in a context of ones experience is far more likely to be retained than one presented in the context of a hypothetical situation” (p. 1064). I think this validates my perception that critical thinking is not solely for professionals; it has application across all spectrums of human experience.

History has revealed many people who have been considered geniuses in their field such as Beethoven in music or Earnest Hemingway in literature. Many of these individuals, however, were also known to suffer from manic-depression or what today is called Bipolar disorder. The health-related research question in which I am interested is: What is the relationship between Bipolar Disorder (Manic Depression) and creative genius?I suspect that the creativity shown by such individuals was a function of the manic cycle that occurs in Bipolar Disorder.

My hypothesis is: Creative genius can be fueled by the incidence of the manic phase of a bipolar cycle.ReferencesGuthrie, D. (1994). Statistics in Sports. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 89, (427), 1064-1065.Rossman, A.J. (1997). Quantitative Reasoning: Argument with Data. College Teaching, 45 (2), 52.