Lecture 2: Thinking Like a Researcher Flashcards
What is research is about?
- Using skills in critical thinking
- learn to question everything
- who, what, where, when, etc. - Using scientific method to address questions
- systematic and interative - Less about memorizing
What are the 4 main question types in research?
- Memory
- Convergent
- Divergent
- Evaluative
What is a memory type question?
test reproduction of facts (name, define, who, what, ye/no responses)
What is a convergent type question?
integrate analysis leading to an answer (compare/contrast explain relationships)
What is a divergent type of question?
spur independent ideas (imagine, suppose, predict, if-then, wha are possible consequences)
What is an evaluative type of question?
those of judgement, value, choice (defend, justify, what do you think about, what is your opinion on…)
What are the steps in a systematic research?
- ask questions
- do background research
- construct hypothesis
- test with an experiment
- analyze results/draw conlusions
- hypothesis is “TRUE”
- hypothesis is “FALSE” or partially True –> think! try again
- report results
What are the 3 main types of research?
- exploratory
- descriptive
- explanatory
What is an exploratory research?
scoping, generate ideas, test feasibility, casual observations)
What is a descriptive research?
careful observations and note taking, use scientific method, what/where/when of phenomenon, associative research
What is an explanatory research?
seeks to explain observations; addresses how/why questions; attempts to connect the dots; causality
What is gut thinking?
- we have our own answers and views
- shaped by evidence? strong? how much? flawed thinking? biased observations? emotions? politics? economics? etc.
- we think that our gut is never wrong and it might lead to flawed explanations and decisions.
What are the main reasons behind a “flawed gut”?
- Heuristic
- Mental shortcut
- “Better than average” Effect
- Overconfidence phenomenon
- Hindsight bias
- Confirmation bias
- Introspection
How is heuristic - mental shortcut related to flawed gut?
- judge likelihood of event based on similar/relevant cases that easily come to mind (availability heuristic) EX: gluten-free diet worked well for a patient with symptoms A, B, C, and so…
- judge likelihood by how much it resembles something “typical” [representative] EX: all salads must be healthy because…
- mental shortcuts help us cope with a complex world –> not necessarily a bad thing but need to be careful with professional level.
How is “Better than Average” Effec related to flawed gut?
impossible for everyone to be >50%
How is overconfidence phenomenon related to flawed gut?
- Overly confident about our judgements
- We have little reason to self correct
How is hindsight bias related to flawed gut?
- we overestimate our ability to have predicted results
How is confirmation bias related to flawed gut?
- we like to be correct, and focus on info that proves this
How is introspection related to flawed gut?
- we reflect on our own thoughts/experiences to find relevant evidence.
Why are anectodes are not reliable in terms of scientific evidence?
- personal anectodes*
- we favour this; aren’t we always correct?
- while valuable, can these generelize? Typical?
- Law of small numbers*
- extreme outcomes (outliers) possible
- single (few) anectodes generalize?
How to better make decisions without being influenced by personal anectodes?
- remove anectode/emotion from decision-making*
- adapt a set of guidelines to make judgements
Compare Psuedocience and Science
- Science*
- willingness to change with new evidence
- ruthless peer review
- takes account of all new discoveries
- invites criticism
- verifiable results
- limits claims of usefulness
- pseudoscience*
- fixed ideas
- no peer review
- selects only favorable discoveries
- sees criticism as conspiracy
- non-repeatable results
- claims of widespread usefulness
- “ball park” measurement
What is empirical framework?
It is a way of gaining knowledge by means of direct and indirect observation or experience. Empiricism values such research more than other kinds.
independent variable —hypothesis—> dependent variable
What is theoretical framework?
A theoretical framework consists of concepts and, together with their definitions and reference to relevant scholarly literature, existing theory that is used for your particular study.
Construct A —–preposition—> Construct B
How to build a research model?
Empirical Observations (inductive reasoning) + Theory/Logic (deductive reasoning) ——–> preliminary conclusions (develop premise, test/anticipate outcomes, specify relationships among variables) ——> final model
What are the elements of professionalism in science?
- intellectual honesty
- excellence in thinking and doing
- collegiality and openness
- autonomy and responsiblity
- self-regulation
What are the characteristics of a good scientist?
- skepticism
- open minded
- objective
- empiricism
- creative
- communication
- ethical
What is an applied research?
is used to answer a specific question that has direct applications to the world
What is a basic research?
it is driven purely by curiosity and desire to expand our knowledge. This type of research tends not to be directly applicable to the real world in a direct way, but enhances our understanding of the world around us.
Natural vs Social Sciences
Natural sciences –> a branch of science that deals with the physical world e.g. physics, chemistry, geology and biology
Social sciences –> the scientific study of human society and social relationships
What are the methods used in natural and social sciences and what are the similarities?
- Natural sciences uses systematic observation, measurements, mathematics, and experiment.
- Social sciences can use other methods as well
What are career skills that a scientist should have?
- project management
- problem solving
- critical thinking
- analytical skills
- communication skills
