How Good is the Evidence: Personal, Observation, Research Studies, Case Examples, and Analogies Flashcards
Personal Observation
Basis of many scientific studies; most reliable are those made by several people observing under optimal conditions who have no apparent, strong expectations or biases related to the event being observed.
Research Study
A systematic collection of observations by people trained to do scientific research
Scientific Studies
Seeks formation in the form of publicl verifiable data
Involves the use of special procedures to reduce error in observations in the interpretation of research findings
Precision of Language
Problems with Research Findings
Research varies greatly in quality
Research often contradict one another
Research findings do not prove conclusions - they only support them
Research quality depends on the researcher
Conclusions are either distorted or simplified
Research facts change over time
Research varies in how artificial it is
Need for financial gain, status, security, and other factors can affect research outcome
Clues for Evaluating Research Studies
What is the quality of the source of the report?
Does the report detail any special strength of the research?
Has the study been replicated?
How selective has the communicator been in choosing studies?
Is there any evidence of strong-sense critical thinking?
Is there any reason for someone to have distorted the research?
Are conditions in the research artificial and therefore distorted?
How far can we generalize, given the research sample?
Are there any biases or distortions in the surveys, questionnaires, ratings or other measurements that the researcher uses?
Considerations When Generalizing from a Research Sample
Number
Breadth
Randomness of Events or participants
Hasty Generalization Fallacy
Not paying attention to the limits of the sampling and overgeneralizing research findings
Surveys and Questionnaires
Used to measure people’s attitudes and beliefs
Case Examples as Evidence
Use of detailed description of one or several individuals or events to support a conclusion; based on written observations or interviews and vary from being in depth and thorough to being superficial
Analogies as Evidence
Using well-known similarity between two things as the basis for a conclusion about a relatively unknown characteristic of one of those things
Analysis of Analogies
Focus on the number of ways the two things being compared are similar and different
Relevance of the similarities and differences
To Generate your own Analogy
Identify some features of what you are studying
Try to identify other situations with which you are familiar that have some similar features. Try to imagine diverse situations
Try to determine whether the familiar situation can provide you with some insights about the unfamiliar situation
Faulty Analogy
Occurs when an analogy is proposed in which there are important relevant dissimilarities
