critical questions hypothesis and research design
When thinking critically about research or a claim, the first step is to figure out exactly what they are talking about. This is especially true when you are reading a journalist’s presentation of research. Often the headline makes a strong claim (e.g., “[fill in the blank] Causes Cancer”) that the research itself does not make and/or the article extends the research to consider potential implications or future directions (E.g., “Babies raised on Beethoven will be geniuses”) that were not examined in the research they are presenting.