Research methods chapter 1
Method of Intuition
Information is accepted on the basis of a hunch or "gut feeling"
The method of authority
a person relies on information or answers from an expert in the subject area
Qualitative Research
based on making observations that are summarized and interpreted in a narrative report
What is deduction or deductive reasoning?
uses a general statement as the basis for reaching a conclusion about specific examples
What are variables?
variables are qualities, properties, or characteristics of persons, things, or situations that change or vary. They need to be concisely defined to promote their manipulation and measurement in quantitative research.
Methods of Acquiring Knowledge
ways in which a person can know things or discover answers to questions
In the rational method you begin with
A set of known assumptions and use logic to reach a conclusion or get an answer to a question
What is a hypothesis?
A statement of predicted relationships between variables or predicted outcomes. (possible explanation)
example of deductive reasoning
All green apples are sour. If I eat a green apple, it will be sour.
What are the limitations of the method of authority
Authorities can be biased and more personal opinion rather than true expert knowledge
A drawback of the method of tenacity is that it:
Does not allow for the correction of erroneous ideas
The method of tenacity is based on
Habit or superstition
example of inductive reasoning
Harold is a grandfather. Harold is bald. Therefore, all grandfathers are bald.
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
The problem with the method of intuition
Is that there is no mechanism for separating accurate from inaccurate knowledge
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
What is a disadvantage of the rational method
The conclusion is not necessarily true unless both of the premise statements are true, even in a valid logical argument
In an argument using the rational method
The first two sentences are premise statements which are facts or assumptions that are known or assumed to be true. The last sentence is a logical conclusion based on the premises
One problem with the method of tenacity is
The information acquired might not be accurate
Many ethical decisions or moral questions are resolved by
The method of intuition
An example of the method of tenacity is
You cannot teach an old dog new tricks
An example of the method of faith
Young children believing every answer they get front heir parents
what is a downside to the empirical method?
Your observations can be biased and many people misperceive the world around them based of expectations, prior knowledge, and emotions. it can also be time consuming
Pseudoscience
a collection of beliefs or practices mistakenly regarded as being based on scientific method.
Scientific Method
a method of acquiring knowledge that uses observations to develop a hypothesis and then uses the hypothesis to make logical predictions that can be empirically tested by making additional, systematic observations
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
scientific method
an approach to testing beliefs that involves choosing a question, formulating a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, and drawing a conclusion
An example of pseudoscience is
astrology because it is unsupported by empirical evidence
Finding an unanswered research question is often the result of:
critical reading
what do premise statements do?
describe facts or assumptions that are presumed to be true
summary of intuition
from a hunch or a feeling
summary of authority
from an expert
summary of empiricism
from direct sensory observation
summary of tenacity
from habit or superstition
summary of rationalism
from reasoning; a logical conclusion
subjects
individuals in an experiment that are nonhuman
Participants
individuals who take part in research studies (human)
Method of Tenacity
information is accepted as true because it has always been believed or because superstition supports it
what is induction or inductive reasoning
involves using a relatively small set of specific observations as the bias for forming a general statement about a larger set of possible observations
The scientific method is
objective because the observations are structures so that the researcher's biases and beliefs do not influence the outcome of the study
Repetition
repetition of observations- allows verification of the findings
Quantitative Research
research that examines variables that typically vary in quantity(size, magnitude, duration, or amount), usually numerical values
The rational method (rationalism)
seeks answers by the use of logical reasoning
the empirical method (empiricism)
uses observation or direct sensory experience to obtain knowledge