Which method of acquiring knowledge is being used when people make decisions based on instinct or hunches?

methods of acquiring knowledge

• the different way that people know, or the methods that people use to discover answers
• ways in which a person can know things or discover answers to questions.

what are the five nonscientific approaches covered in the textbook?

1. the method of tenacity
   
2. the method of intuition
   
3. the method of authority
4. the rational method
5. the method of empiricism

• The method of tenacity involves holding onto ideas and beliefs simply because they have been accepted as facts for a long time or because of superstition.
  
• based on habit or superstition.
• The information is accepted as true because it has always been believed or because superstition supports it.
• example: advertisers, "opposites attract"(research shows that people are attracted to people that are like them)

• information is accepted as true because it "feels right"
• when we have no information at all and cannot refer to supporting data or use rational justification we often resort to intuition.
• in the method of intuition, information is accepted on the basis of a hunch or "gut feeling"

• In the method of authority, a person finds answers by seeking out an authority on the subject.
• consulting an expert directly, or going to a library or a website to read the works of a n expert
• a person relies on information or answers from an expert in the subject area.

what is the quickest and easiest way to obtain answers?

what are the pitfalls of the method of authority?

• It does not always provide accurate information. Some authorities can be biased.
  
• the answers obtained from an expert could represent subjective, personal opinion rather than true expert knowledge
• we assume, by virtue of the person's status or authority, that expertise can be generalized to include the question we are asking.
• people can accept an expert's statement without question, people do not look for a second opinion. False information is sometimes taken as truth
• not all "experts" are experts

• people accept on faith any information given
• The method of faith is a variant of the memthid of authority in which people have unquestioning trust in the authority figure and, therfore acept information from the authority without doubt or challenge

what is a limitation of the method of faith?

• it allows no mechanism to test the accuracy of the information.
• the method of faith involves accepting information from the authority without doubt or challenge

what are the ways to increase confidence in the information you obtain by the method of authority?

• you can evaluate the source of information
• you can evaluate the information itself
• ask a second opinion

If the question concerns a major financial decision or the answer could significantly change your life, you should do the following: _______

you should not accept information as true unless it passes some critical test or meets some minimum standard of accuracy

Name the methods of acquiring knowledge that are designed to place more demands on the information and the answers they produce?

• The rational method
• The empirical method
• The scientific method

• also known as rationalism
• involves seeking answers by logical reasoning

Define Premise Statements

They are facts or assumptions that are known (or assumed) to be true. example: All 3 year old children are afraid of the dark, Amy is a 3 year old girl...

The answers obtained by the rational method must_______before they are accepted as true

The answers obtained by the rational method must satisfy the standards established by the rules of logic before they are accepted as true

True or false: the rational method does not involve running around making observations and gathering information.

An argument is a set of premise statements that are logically combined to yield a conclusion

The rational method is _______as a source of knowledge

The rational method is the practice of employing reason as a source of knowledge

Logic is way of establishing truth when?

in the absence of evidence

True or false: the rational method is a critical component of the scientific method?

• known as empiricism
• attempts to answer questions by direct observation or personal experience
• uses observation or direct sensory experience to obtain knowledge

A limitation of the empirical method would be?

It is fairly common for people to misperceive or misinterpret the world around them

What are the disadvantages of the empirical method?

• The empirical method is usually time consuming and sometimes dangerous
• It might be safer to use the rational method or the method of authority rather than experience something for yourself

In the method of tenacity, what are the ways of knowing or finding an answer? (summary)

From habit or superstition 

In the method of Intuition, what are the ways of knowing or finding an answer?

From a Hunch or a feeling

In the method of authority, what are the ways of knowing or acquiring knowledge?

In the method of rationalism, what are the ways of knowing or acquiring knowledge?

From reasoning; a logical conclusion

In the method of Empiricism, what are the ways of knowing or acquiring knowledge?

From direct sensory experience

If you "know" that you do not want to ride the new rollercoaster even though your friends say that it's really fun, then your decision is based on_________

Seeking answers by reading a chapter in a college textbook is an example of using the_____

A group of students in a cooking class is trying to to find a faster way to bake a cake. They know that it takes 30 minutes to bake at 250 degrees, so they figure out it should take only 15 minutes to bake at 700 degrees. These students are using the ______to solve the problem

You find some mushrooms growing in your backward and want to find out whether or not they are poisonous, so you eat a few and see what happens. 

The scientific method is an approach to acquiring knowledge that involves for stimulating specific questions and then systematically finding answers. 

The scientific method often begins with ______________

casual or information observation

The process of generalization is an almost automatic response known as?

Induction, or inductive reasoning

• reaching a general conclusion based on a few specific examples
  
• involves using a relatively small set of specific observations as the basis for forming a general statement about a larger set of possibilities.

What is the second step of the scientific method?

• Form a tentative answer or explanation (a Hypothesis)
  
• Identifying other factors, or variables, that are associated with your observation.

Variables are characteristics or conditions that change or have different values for different individuals

• A possible explanation for your observation
  
• a statement that describes or explains a relationship between variables.
• It is not a final answer but rather a proposal to be tested and evaluated

What is the third step of the scientific method?

Use your hypothesis to generate a testable Prediction

Which method do you use to make the predictions (step 3)

The logical process in Hypothesis (Step 3) is known as?

Deduction or deductive reasoning

Define deduction or deductive reasoning

We begin with a general (universal) statement and then make specific deductions. 

Induction and deduction are_____

Induction uses specific examples to general general conclusions or hyportheses

What is step 4 of the scientific method? 

Evaluate the Prediction by making systematic, planned observations

What does the 4th step of the scientific method entail?

• This is the actual research or data collection phase of the scientific method
  
• The goal is to provide a fair and unbiased test of the research hypothesis by observing whether the prediction is correct.

The research study is an______test of the research hypothesis

The research study is an empirical test of the research hypothesis

What is the final step of the scientific method (step 5)?

• Use the observations to support, refute or refine the original hypothesis
  
• compare the actual observations with the predictions that were made from the hypothesis

True or false: the scientific method is a linear process

False: the scientific method is not a linear process; it repeats the same series of steps over and over again

Define the scientific method

The scientific method is a method of acquiring knowledge that uses observations to develop a hypothesis and then uses a hypothesis to make logical predictions that can be empirically tested by making additional, systematic observations. Typically, the new observations lead to a new hypothesis, and then the cycle continues. 

What are the three important principles of the scientific method?

• It is empirical
• It is public
• It is obejective

The scientific method involves_______

structured or systematic observations

Replication or repetition of observation, allows verification of the findings

How does the scientific community make observations public?

By publishing reports in scientific journals or presenting their results at conferences and meetings

What is meant by the scientific method is objective?

• The observations are structured so that the researcher's biases and beliefs do not influence the outcome of the study.
  
• In other words, the researcher does not let personal feelings contaminate the observations

A system of ideas often presented as science but actually lacking some of the key components that are essential to scientific research

What are some examples of pseudoscience?

What are the common features that differentiates pseudoscience from science?

1.Testable and refutable hypotheses 2.Science demands an objective and unbiased evaluation of all the available evidence. 3. Science actively test and challenges its own theories, and adapts the theories when new evidence appears 4. scientific theories are grounded in past science. Pseudoscience tends to create entirely new disciplines and techniques that are unconnected to established theories and empirical evidence.

Describe a similarity between science and pseudoscience?

Both tend to use the "scientific" jargon

• The term quantitive refers to the fact that this type of research examines variables that typically vary in quantity (size, magnitude, duration or amount)
  
• Quantitative research is based on measuring variables for individual participants to obtain scores, usually numerical values, that are submitted to statistical analysis for summary and and interpretation.

Is based on making observations that are summarized and interpreted in a narrative report

What is the primary distinction between quantitative and qualitative research?

Quantitative research typically produces numerical scores while qualitative research is typically a narrative report. 

What are the 10 steps in the research process?

1. Find a research idea
2. Form a hypotheses
3. Determine how you will define & measure your variables
4. Identify the participants or subjects for the study, decide how they will be selected, and plan their ethical treatment
5. select a research strategy
6. select a research design
7. conduct the study
8. evaluate the data
9. report the results
10. refine or reformulate your research idea.

Research Process Step 1: Find a research idea

1. Selecting a general topic area (such as human development, perception, social interaction, and so on
2. Reviewing the literature in that area to identify the relevant variables and find and unanswered question.

The individuals who take part in research studies are called _____if they are human and ________if they are nonhuman

The individuals who take part in research studies are called participants if they are human and subjects if they are nonhuman

The choice of research strategy (step 5) is usually determined by which two factors?

1. The type of question asked
2. Ethics and other constraints (such as equipment availability)

What are the two reasons to report research results?

1. the results become part of the general knowledge base that other people can use to answer questions or to generate mew research ideas
2. the research procedure can be replicated or refuted by other researchers.

Typically, results that support a hypotheses lead to new questions by one of the following two routes:

1. Test the boundaries of the result
2. Refine original research question

What is the last step of the research process?

Generating new questions or new hypotheses to restart the research process

What is tenacity method of acquiring knowledge?

What methods are used to produce knowledge?

What is the system of acquiring knowledge?

What are the five major methods of obtaining knowledge?