soft skills chp6 Flashcards
What is meant by animism?
Animism is the belief that all things—animals, plants, and objects—have a spirit or consciousness.
What is rationalism and what is its main method?
Rationalism is the belief that reason is the main source of knowledge.
Main Method: Deduction – deriving truths through logical reasoning rather than experience
What is empiricism and what is its main method?
Empiricism is the belief that knowledge comes from sensory experience and observation.
Main Method: Induction – drawing general conclusions from specific observations
What is meant by falsification? With which philosopher is this term associated?
Falsification is the idea that for a statement or theory to be scientifically valid, it must be possible to prove it false through evidence or experiments.
Associated Philosopher: Karl Popper – He argued that scientific theories must be testable and refutable to be meaningful.
What is meant by a paradigm? With which philosopher is this term associated?
A paradigm is a widely accepted model or pattern of thought, practices, and assumptions within a scientific community that guides research and understanding.
Associated Philosopher: Thomas Kuhn – He introduced the term in his book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, where he argued that science progresses through shifts in paradigms, known as “paradigm shifts.”
What is exploratory research?
Exploratory research seeks to understand an unfamiliar issue or topic, generating insights and hypotheses for further study
Give two examples each of a) quantitative and b) qualitative methods?
a) Quantitative Methods:
Surveys with numerical data – Collecting responses to structured questions with measurable options (e.g., rating scales).
Experiments – Testing hypotheses using controlled variables and measuring outcomes with numerical data.
b) Qualitative Methods:
Interviews – In-depth, open-ended conversations to explore individual perspectives.
Case studies – Detailed analysis of a single subject or group to understand complex phenomena.
What is meant by hermeneutics?
Hermeneutics is the study of interpretation, especially of texts, language, and symbolic meanings. It focuses on understanding and explaining the meaning of texts, particularly in philosophy, law, and literature.
What is meant by primary data, what is meant by secondary data?
Primary Data is data collected directly from original sources through methods like surveys, experiments, or interviews.
Secondary Data is data that has already been collected and published by others, such as research papers, reports, or statistical databases.
What is the danger of contract research?
The danger of contract research is that it may lead to biased results due to the influence of the funding party. Researchers might be pressured to produce outcomes that align with the sponsor’s interests, compromising objectivity and the integrity of the research.
what is meant by open acess?
Open access refers to the practice of making research outputs, such as academic papers, freely available to the public online, without any subscription or payment barriers. This promotes wider dissemination and accessibility of knowledge.
what is a double blind review
A double-blind review is a peer review process in which both the authors and the reviewers remain anonymous to each other. This helps eliminate bias and ensures a more objective evaluation of the work.
what is meany by replicability of research results
Replicability of research results means that the same experiment or study can be repeated by other researchers, using the same methods, and produce similar results. It is a key aspect of ensuring the reliability and validity of scientific findings.
what is meant by the postulate of the value freedom of science is it justified
The postulate of value freedom in science suggests that research should be objective, free from personal or societal biases.
Is it justified?
While ideal, it’s debated whether true objectivity is possible, as values may still influence research.
What is understood in ethics by cognitivism and noncognitivism
Cognitivism is the belief that moral statements express objective truths that can be true or false (e.g., “Stealing is wrong” is a statement that can be true or false).
Noncognitivism is the view that moral statements do not express objective truths but are expressions of feelings, attitudes, or commands (e.g., “Stealing is wrong” simply expresses disapproval rather than a truth).
