2- Think like a Researcher Flashcards
What is Research?
Research and experimental development (R&D) comprise creative and systematic work undertaken in order to increase the stock of knowledge - including knowledge of human kind, culture and society - and devise new applications of available knowledge
What is the purpose of research?
- Review or synthesize existing knowledge
- Investigate existing situations or problems
- Provide solutions to problems
- Explore and analyze more general issues
- Construct or create new procedures or systems
- Explain new phenomenon
- Generate more knowledge
- Informed decision making
- Capacity building
- Broad economic or social impacts
- Confirm or (re-affirm facts)
Who does research?
Not just scientists!!! All of us are curious
-We want answers to our most perplexing questions, and thus we want to describe, explain, predict, and control events
We study __________ (factors that have 2+ values)
variables
(ex: height, IQ, attitude, tastes, etc)
- we describe variables, associate variables, what causes variances, predict and control
T or F: decisions are often difficult, messy and confusing
T
T or F: A lot of the decisions we take are made intuitively
T
We make around _______ of decisions daily
1000s
Our decisions are often complicated by powerful forces such as:
- family & friends
- marketing
- social media
- religion
- income
T or F: The decisions we take are often based on misinformation; seldom evidence-based
T
T or F: our gut is never wrong
T
Flawed explanations lead to false __________
decisions
Explain how our gut is flawed:
- We have our own answers and views
- Experiences shape us yet none of us experience everything so how do we really know? (n=1)
- Our experiences are not experienced by others so how do we really know? (many possibilities out there)
- Even if experiences are representative, we may interpret or remember differently so how do we really know? (confirmation bias)
Name the 5 components of the flawed mind:
- confirmation bias
- overconfidence phenomenon
- better than average effect
- knowledge paradox
- hindsight bias
Explain the confirmation bias:
We like to be correct, and focus on information that proves this; We reflect on our thoughts/experiences to find relevant evidence
Explain the overconfidence phenomenon:
We are overly confident about our judgments: little reason to self-correct
Explain the better than average effect:
impossible for everyone to be above 50%
Explain the knowledge paradox:
So much information out there to support our beliefs
Explain the hindsight bias:
We overestimate our ability to have predicted results (we knew it all along)
Research is about:
1) Using skills in critical and creative thinking
- Learn to question everything
- Who, what, where, when, etc
2) Using scientific method to address questions
- Systematic and iterative method
- Less about memorizing or feelings or beliefs
Epistemology =
Theory of knowledge
What are the «know what» ways to believe:
1) Tenacity
2) Authority
3) Empiricism
Explain tenacity:
Believing in something since it is what we have always believed
Explain authority:
Relying on other people as a source of knowledge and beliefs
Explain empericism:
Knowledge based on observation and experience
What are some nutrition myths:
1) Eat several smaller meals a day to boost your metabolism
2) Doing a juice cleanse will remove toxins from your body
3) Fat is bad for you
4) Coffee is bad for you
Name some characteristics of science and contrast them with pseudoscience:
- Willingness to change with new evidence (science) vs fixed ideas (pseudoscience)
- Ruthless peer review (science) vs no peer review (pseudoscience)
- Takes account of all new discoveries (science) vs selects only favorable discoveries (pseudoscience)
- Invites criticism (science) vs sees criticism as conspiracy (pseudoscience)
- Verifiable results (science) vs non-repeatable results (pseudoscience)
- Accurate measurement (science) vs ball-park measurement (pseudoscience)
- Limits claims of usefulness (science) vs claims of widespread usefulness (pseudoscience).
Why is there so much pseudoscience in dietetics and nutrition?
- Because the society is looking for quick, mitigated solutions
- Need for money
- People have expectations and beliefs
T or F: Knowing how is at the heart of the scientific method, we want to be able to look at the evidence in a very objective manner
T
- Science relies on _____________ evidence
- Need to gather this evidence in a __________ way vs informal observations
- Need to next evaluate the evidence using _______ and ___________
empirical
systematic
logic and reasoning
What are the 4 main types of research:
1- exploratory
2- descriptive
3- explanatory
4- control
Scoping, generate ideas, test feasibility, casual observations =
Exploratory
Careful observations and note taking, use scientific method, who/what/where/when of phenomenon, associative research =
Descriptive
Seeks to explain observations; addresses how/why questions; attempts to connect the dots, causality
Explanatory
1) influence over research variables, settings, methods, etc 2) application of knowledge =
Control
Explain the scientific method:
1) Ask questions
2) Do some background research
3) Construct hypothesis
4) Test with an experiment
5) Analyze results / draw conclusions
6a) Hypothesis is true = report results
6b) Hypothesis is false or partially true, = think again go back to construct hypothesis = report results
What are the different types of questions? (4)
- Memory
- Convergent
- Divergent
- Evaluative
Test reproduction of facts (name, define, who, what, yes/no responses) =
memory questions
Integrate analyses leading to an answer (compare/contrast, explain relationships) =
convergent questions
Spur independent ideas (imagine, suppose, predict, if-then, what are possible consequences) =
divergent questions
Those of judgment, value, choice (defend, justify, what do you think about , what is your opinion of) =
evaluative questions
What are some good characteristics of a scientist:
- skepticism
- open-minded
- objective
- empiricism (the theory that all knowledge is derived from sense-experience)
- creative
- communication
What are some career skills developed as a scientist:
- project management
- problem solving
- critical thinking
- analytical skills
- communication skills
Give characteristics of science:
1) Based on empiricism and systematic methods
2) Involves assumptions (always justify)
3) Focuses on testable questions
4) Involves public reporting
5) Knowledge is tentative and not absolute
6) Science is self-correcting
T or F: Basic and Applied research can overlap
T
What is basic research?
- Goal is to generate/expand knowledge
- Usually basis for applied research
What is applied research?
The goal is solving a practical problem
Looking at phenomenon in the natural world (light, animals, molecules) =
natural sciences
Focuses on people and society at large =
social sciences
Research efforts conducted by investigators from different disciplines working jointly to create new conceptual, theoretical, methodological, and translational innovations that integrate and move beyond discipline-specific approaches to address a common problem
Trans-disciplinary
need to merge multiple knowledge and value streams, and across sectors
