Unit 2 Exam Study Guide for STS and Medical Perspectives

STS

Interdisciplinary study of the relationships between science and the social world.

Paradigm Shift

Science develops as enough anomalous evidence emerges to challenge or expand the existing paradigm used to explain natural phenomena.

Positivism

There is one, objective reality in which any rational argument will inevitably be proven true by data collected in the real world.

Social Constructivism

Theory that all knowledge is produced within social context, such that knowledge is not wholly 'objective'.

Objectivity

Idea that there is one, impartial understanding of the real world which can be achieved through the scientific process.

Epistemology

Social and philosophical study of knowledge.

Materialism

Study of how interactions between matter give meaning to social life.

Sufficient knowledge

The process and product of prioritizing some knowledge over others, given the utility of that information for certain contexts.

Narrative Ethics

Approach to bioethics that focuses on personal identity through story, and particular events in the life story of the individual or community.

Quest Stories

Temporality of illness experience and making meaning out of it.

Progress narrative

Science develops in many different directions, and sometimes these developments in science are actually a step backward.

High yield

Knowledge that should be prioritized because it will yield strong performance on exams or in clinical practice.

Low yield

Knowledge that should not be prioritized in a given context.

Context specific priorities

Knowledge that may be prioritized based on its relevance to a specific exam or clinical specialty.

Medical STS

Four key approaches to analyzing medical science.

- Challenging progress narratives in medical science
- Evaluating the role of technology in illness experience
- Assessing multiple epistemologies
- Critiquing bias in medical science

Biomedicine

Amalgamation of practices.

Narrative

Not a discipline, but rather a topic of focus within many disciplines.

Illness Narratives

Stories people tell themselves and others about the meaning of suffering.

Restitution Stories

Focuses on a return to normalcy, victory over illness.

Chaos Stories

Anti narrative; disjointed, no sequence, no meaning, no sense of resolution.

Narrative Medicine

The medical approach that utilizes people's narratives in clinical practice, research and education as a way to promote healing.

Close reading

Analyzing the frame, form, and time of a text.

Data collection

Methods used to gather information for analysis.

Interviews

A method of data collection involving direct questioning.

Participant observation

A qualitative research method where the researcher becomes part of the group being studied.

Surveys

A method of data collection that involves asking people questions.

Focus groups

A moderated discussion with a group of people to gather insights.

Primary source analysis

Examination of original documents or evidence.

Data analysis

The process of inspecting, cleansing, transforming, and modeling data.

Discourse analysis

Study of language in use and its social context.

Thematic coding

Identifying themes or patterns in qualitative data.

Narrative Competence

The ability to acknowledge, absorb, interpret, and act on the stories and plights of others

Value

Strengthens the relationship between patient and practitioner, facilitating greater trust and understanding

Narrative Humility

Response to reduction in cultural sensitivity training; Patient's story belongs to the patient; Clinician should acknowledge the hierarchical imbalance of medicine and be transparent

Cultural competency

Trained ability to identify cross-cultural expressions of illness and health, and to thus counteract the marginalization of patients by race, ethnicity, social class, religion, sexual orientation, or other markers of difference

Structural competency

Trained ability to discern how a host of issues defined clinically as symptoms, attitudes, or diseases also represent the downstream implications of a number of upstream decisions

Illness narratives

Created as patients and families make sense of the experience of sickness and the role it plays in their lives

Social science aspects of narrative medicine

Examines the impact of societal and cultural factors on patient experiences, understanding illness in a social context

Humanities aspects of narrative medicine

Involves close reading, reflection, and empathy—drawing on literature, philosophy, and ethics to interpret and respond to patient stories

Components of close reading

Includes frame, form, time, plot, and desire

Frame

Where did the story come from, or what's its background?

Form

The genre and structure of the narrative, including who narrates it

Time

The story's timeline and how it progresses

Plot

The sequence of events in the story

Desire

The emotions or needs expressed in the story

Philosophy

Love of wisdom; Study of fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence

Logic

What is sound reasoning?

Value theory/Axiology

What is good; What should be

Aesthetics

Study of beauty and taste

Metaphysics

What exists; What does it mean to exist

Ethics

Philosophical study of morality

Morality

Beliefs concerning right and wrong, good and bad

Descriptive ethics

Scientific study of moral beliefs and practices

Metaethics

Study of meaning and logical structure of moral beliefs

Normative ethics

Study of the principles, rules, or theories that guide our actions and judgements

Applied ethics

Application of normative ethics to specific moral issues or cases

Bioethics/biomedical ethics

Applied ethics focuses on healthcare, medical science, and medical technology

Phenomenology

Philosophy of experience and asks philosophers to directly investigate and describe phenomena with a value-free perception

Methodic Doubt

Process of being skeptical of so-called truths related to reality, phenomena, and knowledge

Conceptual analysis

Involves the analysis of concepts, notions, or ideas

Thought experiments

Imaginative scenarios that allow us to test or compare concepts to better understand their connections or logical consequences

Consequentialist theory

Theory asserting that what makes an action right is its consequences.

Nonconsequentialist theory/ deontology

Theory asserting that the rightness of an action does not depend on its consequences.

Utilitarianism

Theory asserting that the morally right action is the one that produces the most favorable balance of good over evil, everyone considered.

Greatest happiness principle

Holds that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce reverse happiness.

Philosophy of medicine

Focuses on conceptual, methodological, axiological, epistemological, metaphysical, and other philosophical issues regarding medicine from a theoretical point of view.

Deontology

Asserts that the rightness of an action is based on its adherence to rules or duties, not on its consequences.

Formula of universal law

Means, one should only act according to rules that they would want everyone else to follow universally.

History

The study of past events, particularly in human affairs.

Internalist

Looking from within medicine, to medicine itself.

Social History

Are we seeing progress in medicine?

Social Construction

How are we measuring progress in medicine?

Cultural History

How has medicine been represented in the public sphere?

Archive

Historically significant records.

Archival Research

Systemic location, analysis, and synthesis of materials found in archival repositories.

Oral History

Passed down orally; patient stories from the patient instead of the doctor.

Public History

Describes the many and diverse ways in which history is put to work in the world.

Tuskegee Syphilis Study

A controversial clinical study conducted on African American males without their informed consent.

J. Marion Sims

Conducted gynecological research on enslaved black women without anesthesia, raising ethical concerns.

Lucy

An 18 y/o patient who underwent surgery without anesthesia, suffering extreme agony.

Medical History

The sub-field that began in the mid-20th century, primarily initiated by doctors to understand the development of medicine.

Covid-19 predictions

Medical historians anticipated societal responses such as scapegoating, denial, and vaccine hesitancy based on historical context.

Physical objects in medicine

Reflect the knowledge, cultural norms, and ethical considerations of the time.

Beliefs in inherent racial difference

Persistent beliefs about disparities in pain tolerance and health outcomes based on race.

Literature and medicine

Study of medical and health-related issues as they are represented in literature including poetry, fiction, and non-fiction.

Pathography

Illness narratives told by patients or doctors.

Authorial intent

What did the author intend to convey when he wrote this?

Biopolitics

Governance of life through knowledge and power systems.

Queer Theory

Examines sexuality's impact on individual experiences.

Critical Race Theory

Analyzes race's influence on societal experiences.

Feminist Theory

Explores gender's role in shaping experiences.

Denotation

Literal dictionary definition of a word.

Connotation

Associated deeper meanings of a word.

Metaphor

Comparison between two unlike things.

Close Reading

Analyzing text for deeper meanings and patterns.

Cultural Studies

Investigates culture's impact on individual experiences.

Circuit of Culture

Framework analyzing cultural production and consumption.

Rhetoric

Study of persuasion in communication contexts.

Literature

Texts exploring themes, ideas, and aesthetics.

Medical Rhetoric

Persuasive communication in health and medicine.