Science Basic Characteristics and Definitions

Question 1

What is science?

Answer 1

Science is a systematic approach for seeking and organizing knowledge about the natural world.

Question 2

What is the purpose of science?

Answer 2

The overall goal of science is to achieve a thorough understanding of the phenomena under study.

Question 3

What does science do that other sources of knowledge does not.

Answer 3

Science seeks to discover nature’s truths: facts and universal laws that exist and operate independent of the opinions and beliefs of any person or
group, including the scientist.

Question 4

What does science yield?

Answer 4

Science yields knowledge enabling one or more of three levels of understanding: description, prediction, and control.

Question 5

What is description?

Answer 5

Descriptive knowledge consists of a collection of facts about the observed events hat can be quantified, classified, and examined for possible relations with other known facts.

Question 6

What does descriptive knowledge provide?

Answer 6

The knowledge obtained from descriptive studies often suggests possible
hypotheses or questions for additional research.

Question 7

What is an example of description provided from the text?

Answer 7

White’s (1975) study of teachers rates of approval and disapproval leading to effective use of praise.

Question 8

What is correlation?

Answer 8

Repeated observations reveal that two events consistently covary with each other.

Question 9

What is prediction?

Answer 9

An observed correlation is used to predict the relative probability of that one event will occur based on the presence of another event.

Question 10

What is control?

Answer 10

A functional relation demonstrates that a specific change in one event is reliably produced by specific manipulations of another event.