Proverbs to Introduce CONTROL & Experimentation

Proverbs and idioms tell much about a peoples traditional ways of experiencing reality, about the proper or expected ways of
doing things, about values and warnings, and rules and wisdoms the elders want to impress on the minds of their young.
The punch line character of proverbs the shorter the better makes it easy to commit them to memory for when the occasion
calls for serious or humorous comment. Created by people in high and low stations, humble folk and great authors, borrowed
from ancient or neighboring cultures, proverbs have been accumulating over many centuries.
These values, warnings, rules, and wisdoms come in the form of STATEMENTS not questions. To a student interested in
psychology, critical thinking, and scientific analysis these proverbs are hypothesis-like in their nature. They are general
statements in need of clarification. For thinking persons, these proverbs provide an excellent introduction to the most important
elements of experimentation most notably the concept of CONTROL, but also the following terms: hypothesis,
independent variable, dependent variable, control group, experimental group, operational definition, and confounding variable.
Suppose that each of the following proverbs led to the design of an experiment. For each, identify the independent variable,
dependent variable, experimental group, and control group. Consideration will need to be given to the operational definition of
your variables and to controlling extraneous (confounding variables) that might wreak havoc on your study.
1.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Operational definition of variables:
Independent variable:
Dependent variable:
Experimental group:
Control group:
Extraneous variables needing to be controlled:

2.

Good fences make good neighbors.

Operational definition of variables:
Independent variable:
Dependent variable:
Experimental group:
Control group:
Extraneous variables needing to be controlled:

3.

Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
Operational definition of variables:
Independent variable:
Dependent variable:
Experimental group:
Control group:
Extraneous variables needing to be controlled:

More Proverbs That Might Allow For Control & Experimentation

The early bird gets the worm.
Money doesnt buy happiness.
Idle hands are the devils workshop.
Too many cooks spoil the broth.
A rolling stone gathers no moss.
Proverbs Where Control May Not be Possible (Yet Could Still be Tested or Subjected to Statistical Analysis)
April showers bring May flowers.
The apple doesnt fall far from the tree.
When the fruit is scarcest, its taste is the sweetest.
True love never dies.
When the cats away, the mice will play.
Barking dogs seldom bite.
The bigger they are, the harder they fall.
Not all that glitters is gold.
The older the fiddle the sweeter the tune.
A wild goose never reared a tame gosling.
The old pipe gives the sweetest smoke.