These ingrained dispositions may be difficult to modify, so that an equal sharing of the second shift will come about very slowly, if at all. In short, we have reason to believe that there will be considerable change and that there will be little or no change. A final property of a research problem should be considered. Research problems deal with relationships, not single facts. In a judicial inquiry attorneys may do research to determine whether the defendant committed a crime.
Scientific research looks to verify relationships.
For example, we saw that we could not research the question should marijuana be made legal, so we posed instead the question if marijuana is legalized, will the use of hard drugs increase. That is a general statement. It means that in any place where the possession of marijuana is legal, the use of hard drugs is more frequent than in places where the possession of marijuana is not legal. It does not ask whether any particular individual will make greater use of hard drugs. It does not ask if any particular place will show an increase in the use of hard drugs if marijuana is legalized.