C1: Scientific Method

Question 1

What is determinism?

Answer 1

The behavior is solely influenced by natural causes

It does not depend on an individual’s free will

Question 2

Describe how nature is lawful

Answer 2

Every event can be understood as a predictable sequence of natural causes and effects

Not random

Question 3

What makes the laws of nature understandable?

Answer 3

Regardless of how complicated a too. Seems at first glance, we assume that it will eventually LOGICALLY & RATIONALLY fit with known facts

Question 4

What are the 5 key attitudes of scientists

Answer 4

Uncertain
Open minded
Skeptical
Cautious
Ethical

Question 5

What is an uncertain attitude?

Answer 5

A belief that no one knows how a behavior operates

Question 6

What is an open-minded attitude

Answer 6

Any approach or answer could turn out to be correct

Question 7

What is a skeptical attitude?

Answer 7

Any approach or statement may contain error (s)

Question 8

What is a cautious attitude?

Answer 8

Realizing that any conclusion is not necessarily a fact

Question 9

What is an ethical attitude?

Answer 9

Research should do no harm

Question 10

What are the key components of designing a study

Answer 10

Identify specific participants ( aka pre-1994…subjects)

Include specific situation or sequence of situations

Question 11

What are the 4 characteristics of scientific evidence?

Answer 11

Convincing evidence is
   Empirical
   Objective
   Systematic
   Controlled

Question 12

What is empirical criteria?

Answer 12

Information based in observation

Observable

Question 13

What makes scientific observations objective?

Answer 13

Observations are free from bias

Question 14

How do you set systematic criteria for gaining acceptable scientific evidence?

Answer 14

Observations are made in a step-by-step manner

Question 15

How do you design research that is controlled?

Answer 15

Remove potentially confusing factors

Question 16

How do you define “understanding” an event ( or behavior?

Answer 16

4 simultaneous goals for understanding an event/behavior

DESCRIBE the behavior and the conditions under which it occurs
EXPLAIN the specific causes that determine when and why behavior occurs
CONTROL the factors that are needed to produce or eliminate behavior

Question 17

What is applied research?

Answer 17

Research conducted to solve an existing problem

Question 18

What is basic research?

Answer 18

Conducted simply for the knowledge it produces, to obtain knowledge

Question 19

What is the role of a single study?

Answer 19

Gives a limited and simplified view of the complexity found in nature.

It contributes minutely to the overall goal of accurate understanding

Question 20

What is a hypothesis?

And what are the two types of hypothesis

Answer 20

It is the specific question you will answer with research

It is either a
Causal hypothesis
Or a descriptive hypothesis

Question 21

What is a causal hypothesis?

Answer 21

It identifies a particular cause for, or influence on, a behavior

“Channel surfing is caused by boring content on TV

Question 22

What is a descriptive hypothesis ?

Answer 22

It tentatively defines a behavior in terms of its characteristics or the situation in which it occurs.

It postulates characteristics or aspects of the behavior

Question 23

What behaviors can be studied scientifically?

Answer 23

Behavior must be
Lawful
Determined
Understandable

Question 24

What are the 5 criteria for scientific hypotheses?

Answer 24

Testable
Falsifiable
Precise
Rational
Parsimonious

Question 25

What makes a hypothesis testable?

Answer 25

A test can be designed for it

Question 26

What makes a hypothesis falsifiable?

Answer 26

It can possibly be proved false

Question 27

What makes a hypothesis precise?

Answer 27

The terms are clearly defined

Question 28

What makes a hypothesis rational?

Answer 28

It fits with the known information

Question 29

What makes a hypothesis parsimonious?

Answer 29

It involves the simplest possible approach

Question 30

What is a theory?

Answer 30

It is an organized body of research (or set of proposals) that describes, explains, organizes and interrelates knowledge about a wide range of behaviors

Question 31

What is the function of a theory?

Answer 31

It helps organize empirical findings and guide additional research. (a study cannot test a theory, it can only test a hypothesis)

describes broad, astract components of a behavior

Question 32

What is a model (as in a related source of hypotheses)?

Answer 32

a description that, by way of analogy, explains the process underlying particular behaviors. It is typically specific and concrete (whereas theories are broad in scope)

provides a specific analogy for discussing and understanding components of a behavior

often involves a flow chart or diagram

Question 33

What is the difference between a hypothesis and a prediction?

Answer 33

A hypothesis is a general statement about how a behavior operates. A prediction is a specific statement about how we will see the behavior manifested in the research situation,

A prediction also describes the specific results that we expect in a study, if the hypothesis is correct

Question 34

What is a pseudo-explanation?

Answer 34

It is circular, explaining the causes of an event by renaming the event.

To avoid pseudo-explanations, we obtain independent verification of a supposed cause

Question 35

How and why are statistical procedures used?

Answer 35

They are used to organize, summarize and communicate data.

Statistical procedures are used to draw conclusions about what the data indicate

Question 36

What is replication?

Answer 36

the process of repeatedly conduction studies to build confidence in a hypothesis

Question 37

What is the difference between literal and conceptual replication?

Answer 37

Literal replication precisely duplicates a previous study.

Conceptual replication repeats the test of the hypothesis but uses a different design

Question 38

What is confirmation?

Answer 38

When our finding is consistent with the hypothesis
Confirming means that we are more confident that the hypothesis is true than we were before the test.

(Confirming is not the same as proving.)

Question 39

What is disconfirmation?

Answer 39

When our data do not fit our hypothesis, evidence that the hypothesis is false

Question 40

What is statistical notation?

Answer 40

It is the code for communicating statistical results and simplifying statistical formulas

Question 41

What provides confidence in a hypothesis?

Answer 41

Our confidence is based on the quantity and quality of evidence that confirms and disconfirms it