Ch. 1

Which of the following is the best description of the scientific method?

A circular process that leads to a tentative answer

Which of the following is a distinction between science and pseudoscience?

All of the other options are differences between science and pseudoscience.

Scotty has no patience with social media debates about what is or is not happening in politics. He trusts one particular network, and if he hears it on that network, he knows it is true. Otherwise, it cannot be true.

Authority

Which of the following is typical of quantitative research?

It involves measuring variables for each individual. It usually involves numerical scores. It uses statistical analysis to summarize and interpret results.

Which method of knowing is used when you find the address and phone number of a restaurant by googling the name of the restaurant?

Method of authority

A restaurant chef tried replacing rice with pasta in one of her recipes to see what would happen. Which method of acquiring knowledge is she using?

Method of empiricism

Last year Tim and his friend Jack were both too short to ride the roller coaster. Jack went to the park this year and was tall enough to ride. Tim knows that he is taller than Jack, so he knows that he will be able to ride the roller coaster as well. Which method of knowing is Tim using?

Rational method

Jina likes to weigh things out before making decisions. She is prone to creating lists of pros and cons and making choices on the basis of reasoning things out.

Rationalism

Which method of knowing is being used by a student who believes that his performance on tests is influenced by wearing a lucky hat?

The method of tenacity

After watching several social media debates quickly devolve into name calling, Hayden develops ________ using __________ , or reasoning from his small number of observations to a larger generalization. On the other hand, Lindsay, who has observed the same debates, reasons from a general proposition about methods of persuasion to try to understand the interactions, using _________.

a hypothesis, induction, deduction

A hypothesis is a __________ statement and a prediction is a __________ statement.

general; specific

The first step in the research process is

identifying a topic area and searching the literature to find a research question.

scientific method

means of acquiring knowledge that functions via formation and testing of hypotheses

replication

repetition of a research study with the same basic procedures used in the original study

A researcher conducts a study in which 50 college students are assigned to different treatments and tested. In the study, the students are called

research participants.

quantitative research

scientific study based on measuring variables numerically and submitting them to statistical analyses

deduction

use of a general statement as the basis for reaching a conclusion about specific examples

induction

use of small sets of observations to form general statements about larger sets of observations

Finding an unanswered research question is often the result of:

Critical reading

Select a topic and review the literature Come up with a tentative answer Decide on the general approach Identify methods and procedures

Find an idea, Form a hypothesis, Select a strategy, Select a design

What kind of reasoning uses a few specific observations to produce a general hypothesis?

Inductive reasoning

Caitlyn is faced with the choice of which of two apartments she should rent. Both have similar costs, locations, size, and amenities, so she finally decides to rent the one that just feels right to her.

Intuition

The primary distinction between quantitative and qualitative research is that quantitative research typically:

Produces numerical scores

What is meant by saying that "science is objective"?

Scientific answers are obtained without influence by the researcher's biases or beliefs.

Is it science or pseudoscience?

Several parents in the support group to which Melynda belongs tell her that if she removes wheat, dairy, sugar, and artificial flavors and colors from her three-year-old son's diet, his symptoms of autism will be markedly reduced. They tell her the reason mainstream medicine claims these approaches do not work is that neither physicians nor drug companies can make money from them.

Marta assures her friend Sara, who is 41 weeks pregnant and enduring a miserably hot, humid summer, with no sign of the baby being ready to be born, that everyone knows eating a salad made with spinach, blackberries, and walnuts will stimulate labor.

Tenacity

method of authority

method in which a person relies on information or answers from experts

method of tenacity

method in which information is accepted because it has always been believed

method of intuition

method in which information is accepted on the basis of a hunch

method of faith

method of authority, in which people have unquestioning trust in an authority figure

Rational Method

method that involves seeking answers by the use of logical reasoning

Empirical Method

method using observation and direct sensory experience

qualitative research

scientific study that is based on observations summarized and interpreted in a narrative report

premise statement

sentence used in logical reasoning that describes facts or assumptions

Pseudoscience

set of ideas based on nonscientific theory, faith, and belief

argument

set of premise statements that are logically combined to yield a conclusion

hypothesis

statement that provides a tentative description or explanation for the relationship between variables

Methods of Obtaining/acquiring Knowledge

way in which a person can know things or discover answers to questions