Applied Research
You can apply it to the real world
Basic Research
Acquires general information about a phenomenon
Characteristics of a Scientific explanation
- Empirical
- Rational
- Testable
- Parsimonious
- General
- Tentative
- Rigorously Evaluated
Empirical
Based on evidence
Rational
Follows rules of logical reasoning
Testable
Predicted outcome under same conditions
Parsimonious
Explanation with the fewest assumptions
General
Broad explanatory power
Tentative
Possibility to be faulty
Rigorously Evaluated
“Survival of the fittest”
Non-Scientific Ways
- Non-Science
- Protoscience
- Pseudoscience
Non-Science
Logical reasoning without testing (Philosophy)
Protoscience
“Fringe-Science” - on the edge to real science
Pseudoscience
Ideas presented as science but are very blurry
Alternative Forms of Explanation
- belief-based explanation
- common-sense explanation
Inquiry Methods
- Method of Authority
- Rational Method
- Scientific Method
Steps of Research
- Developing a Research Idea/Hypothesis
- Choosing Research Design
- Choosing Subjects
- Deciding on what to observe and appropriate measure
- Conduct the Study
- Analyze your Results
- Report the Results
Hypothesis
Tentative observation for explanation
Theory
Explanation for natural world -> confirmable -> prediction
Characteristics for a good theory
- Ability to account for data
- Explanatory relevance
- Testability
- Prediction of Novel Events
- Parsimony
Strategies for testing a Theory
Conformational and Disconformational Strategy
Deception
Active & Passive misleading of participants or withholding information
Active Deception
- Purpose misrepresented
- False Statements, Promises, Diagnosis
- misleading explanations and settings
- Pseudosubjects
- Placebo
Passive deception
- Unrecognized conditioning
- Provocation/Secret Recording
- Concealed Observation
