What is observational science? (1.1) Flashcards
What is science?
Systematic, empirical way to understand the world.
Uses experimental and observational methods.
Goals: describe, predict, and control phenomena.
What is Replicability
Fundamental principle
Methods: clearly documented, affords replication
- direct replications -> rare
Why are direct replications rare?
- Not incentivized
- Replications crisis
What is peer Review
Research reviewed by experts in the research topic
- often blindly
- theoretical arguments
- validity of methods
- analysis of data
What are challenges in being objective?
- Humans have povs
- Research has pov
- POV’s carry assumptions
What are the steps scientific method?
1) Observation
2) Question
3) Hypothesis
4) Experiment
5) Analysis
6) Conclusion
What kind of process is the scientific method?
- Iterative (repetitive) process
- Builds on prior knowledge
What is Observational Science?
-Descriptive
- Naturalistic & participant observation
- Qualitative: provide accurate description of event in natural setting
- Quantitative: study specific behaviors or phenomena of
interest
What are the Advantages of Observational Research?
Advantages:
- Occurs in natural setting, allows studying events that can’t be studied in the lab.
- Description helps us recognize pattern and discover relevant variables
What are the Disadvantages of Observational Research?
-Lack of control
What is experimental research?
- Do changes in X cause change in Y?
- Controlled situations
What are the Advantages of Experimental research?
- Stronger evidence of causal relationships
What are the Disadvantages of Experimental research?
- Often lack ecological validity
- Need to have a priori hypotheses.
What are Quasi experiments?
- Uncontrolled “experiments”: there is a variable X compared to Y but other variables are not controlled.
Example to observational research:
Jane Goodall observing the social behavior of chimpanzees in Gombe
