Acquiring Knowledge and The Scientific Method

vatiables

characteristics or conditions that change

empirical method empiricism

uses observation or direct sensory experience to obtain knowledge

When the scientific method is being used, which of the following describes the characteristics or conditions that change or have different values for different individuals?

variable

Methods of Acquiring Knowledge

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

Is it science or pseudoscience? Review the statements and check those that represent science. Check all that apply.

Ami has been diagnosed with early skin cancer. She goes to the website of the National Cancer Institute to see what kinds of treatment have been shown to be effective by randomized clinical trials.

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

How did the researchers measure sleep in this study?

Daily sleeping time

The results from an experiment allow researchers to conclude that there is a cause-and-effect relationship between two variables. On the other hand, a nonexperimental study simply allows researchers to conclude that a relationship exists. What conclusion was made in the Gillen-O'Neel et al. (2013) study?

Increased study time is related to an increase in academic problems.

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

scientific method

a method of acquiring knowledge that uses observations to develop a hypothesis

method of authority

a person finds answers by seeking out an authority on the subject

premise statement

a sentence used in logical reasoning that describes facts or assumptions that are presumed to be true

pseudosciences

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

hypothesis

a statement that describes or explains a relationship between or among variables

method of faith

a variant of the method of authority in which people have unquestioning trust in the authority figure and, therefore, accept information from the authority without doubt or challenge

Deeply religious individuals may defer to their religious leaders for all types of decisions, including those that seem unrelated to religion. This method of acquiring knowledge, called the method of faith, is a variant of which method?

authority

Russell is shopping for a new car, and when he walks into the showroom, he notices huge monitors playing endorsements by famous athletes. He recognizes that reliance on the method of ____ is a common advertising ploy.

authority

sara relies on news from a network known to have an extremely liberal slant, and Constance relies on news from a network known to have an extremely conservative slant. No matter what has occurred, it seems as though their takes are diametrically opposed and completely irreconcilable. Both Sara and Constance are relying on the method of:

authority

Nina is about to start chemotherapy for cancer. She is aware that chemotherapy can cause vomiting and diarrhea, and therefore reasons that she, too, will experience vomiting and diarrhea. Which of the following best describes Nina's reasoning?

deduction

science is

empirical public objective

Jared relies on looking out the window to decide what the day's weather will be like. Jared is relying on which method?

empiricism

Which method of acquiring knowledge can be time consuming and sometimes even dangerous?

empiricism

In a recent debate about a sometimes controversial scientific theory, Debater A was able to list observations that would cause her to modify the theory Debater B supported, while Debater B said nothing would cause him to change his views. This suggests that Debater B is:

engaging in pseudoscience

quantitative research

examines variables that typically vary in quantity

Steps in the Research Process

find a research idea form a hypothesis identify measurements identify participates or subjects select a research strategy selects a design conduct a study evaluate data report results

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 selects a strategy select a design

qualitative research

gathering interpreting reporting making observations that are summarized and interpreted in a narrative report

In the context of science, a statement that describes or explains a relationship between or among variables is called:

hypothesis

participates

individuals who take part in research studies

Tim watches a well-known "reality" competition for fashion designers and, based on his observations of the contestants, concludes that fashion designers are prone to artificially coloring their hair and wearing long, flowing tops. Tim is engaging in:

induction

method of intuition

information is accepted as true because it feels right gut feeling or hunch

method of tenacity

information is accepted as true because it has always been believed or because superstition supports it

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

Jan decides to play the lottery because she just feels like it is her day to win. She picks the numbers based on those that feel right. Jan is relying on which of the following for her decisions?

intuition

One of the steps in the research process is to decide which research strategy to use. One possible research strategy for a researcher to use is an experiment. In an experiment, one variable in the study is manipulated to see whether it causes a change in another variable. Did Gillen-O'Neel et al. (2013) use the experimental strategy?

no

subjects

nonhumans who take part in research studies

In logical reasoning, ____ statements describe facts or assumptions that are presumed to be true.

premise

Angela likes to try to reason things out and often creates lists of pros and cons to aid her in making decisions. Angela is using the method of:

rationalism

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

inductive reasoning induction

reaching a general conclusion based on a few specific examples

Peggy is fascinated by the patterns between diet and behavior in children. She is surprised to learn that, when several researchers tried to repeat a small study of the impact of a gluten- and casein-free diet on the behavior of children with autism, they found the diet failed to produce statistically significant behavioral changes. This process of repeating experiments is known as:

replication

rationalism rational method

seeking answers by logical reasoning

arguement

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

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

Upon hearing that one of her favorite actors has died, Natasha worries out loud about who the other two deaths will involve, as she is certain that deaths come in threes. Natasha's assertion that deaths come in threes is based on which of the following?

tenacity

In this study, which group recorded the time spent studying?

the students

deductive reasoning deductive

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

A drawback of the method of tenacity is that it:

Does not allow for the correction of erroneous ideas

One of the steps in the research process is to decide which research design to use. One possible research design is the between-subjects design, which involves comparing different groups of individuals. Another type of design is the within-subjects design, where the participants are repeatedly measured, often at different times. Which type of research design did Gillen-O'Neel et al. (2013) use?

Within-subjects design