From Science to Research

Unscientific Methods of Problem Solving

Tenacity, Intuition, Authority, Rationalistic Method, Empirical Method

Tenacity

clinging to certain beliefs regardless of the lack of supporting evidence

Tenacity Example

home field is always an advantage in sports

Intuition

knowledge that is common sense or self-evident

Intuition Example

telling the truth is always the best thing to do

Authority

depending on an outside source for knowledge

Authority Example

parents and teachers

Rationalistic Method

deriving knowledge through reasoning

Rationalistic Method Example

I started feeling ill after I got my flu shot. Therefore it was the vaccine

Empirical Method

deriving knowledge through experience and gathering of data

Empirical Method Example

I will ask 3 of my friends what is the best bar in Waterloo

The Scientific Method

all propositions must be subjected to a replicated empirical/observational test

Scientific Method is a Way of Thinking Critically and Logically to

make sense of the world

gather knowledge

answer questions

interpret what others are saying

Scientific Method is not…

restricted to test tubes, labs or apparatus

Scientific Method is…

precise, reliable, critical-conservative-skeptical, open-minded, conventional, concerned with ethics

How is Science Done

in a way that can be observed, evaluated, and replicated by others

What does honest and accurate science require

a skeptical scientific mindset

Four Norms that Characterize Scientific Inquiry

universalism, communality, disinterest, organized skepticism

Universalism

scientific observations must be systematic, structured and evaluated objectively by all scientists (should be able to use same measurements and procedures to come to the same conclusions)

Universalism Example

measure body fat with the same procedure and instrument

Communality

no one study provides the complete answer to a research question

methods and results are shared for review and study replication

Study Replications Ensure Results are not

chance, false positives, scientific fraud

Communality Example

maybe the researcher made an error in a statistical calculation

Disinterest

motivated by honest/careful quest for truth; not fame, ego or gain

cannot be biased

Organized Skepticism

scientists should be critical of findings, even their own results

the necessity for “peer reviews”

Goals of the Scientific Method

1. describe the behaviour

2. predict when the behaviour will occurs

3. determine the causes of the behaviour

4. explain the causes of behaviour

1. Describe the Behaviour

describe the behaviour, health outcome, or other phenomena

accurate, complete description begins all research: Who, What, When, Where

2. Predict When the Behaviour will Occur

be able to predict when the behaviour/outcome/phenomena will occur or not occur

where, when and how described behaviour occurs

3. Determine the Cause/s of the Behaviour

temporal precedence - cause must precede effect

rule out alternative explanations - no other plausible explanations

4. Explain the Causes of Behaviour

why does the outcome, behaviour or other phenomena occur?

Understanding Research is based on what

understanding science

Science

a set of methods used to collect information in a particular area of interest

What is Research

identifies an area that requires study and uses systematic steps to gather knowledge

The Nature of Research

Systematic, logical, empirical, reductive, replicable

Systematic

steps that determine the research process

Logical

the process makes sense

Empirical

the researcher collects data

Reductive

the researcher takes individual events and makes general conclusions

Replicable

the research process is recorded so that others can repeat it