Ways of knowing- ways to learn sceientific research

ways of knowing

1. The Scientific Method

2. Learning outcomes of this lecture Ways of knowing The scientific method An understanding about the types of research. Will be discussed in- depth in later chapters.

3. How do we know things? Class: Take a moment and discuss among you friends on how we get to know things? Bonus question: What is truth? What is your method of seeking truth? Do you really believe it is out there?

4. There are 5 ways of knowing Tenacity – learning something because it has been told to us many times. E.g.-Superstitions, Politicians and incessant repetition of mere assertions. Does it mean it is true? Intuition – We come to believe something because it agrees with something that we already know or believe. Often associated with cognitive heuristics (mental shortcuts). Does it mean it is true? Not always, but sometimes. Cannot always rely. Humans are fallible Way of Authority/Faith – Someone in a position to be believed said so. E.g.- “Smoking causes cancer.” “You have high blood sugar.” Can we always rely on someone to gain knowledge? Rationalism – Gaining knowledge through logical reasoning. Major premise : All men are mortal Minor premise : Socrates is a man Conclusion : Thus, Socrates is mortal Deductive reasoning Can this reasoninglead us to know the truth always?

5. Empiricism – Getting know something through observation Do you always believe what you see? Muller Lyer illusion

6. If none of this alone generates true knowledge, which one does? The scientific method ( Rationalism + Empiricism + Authority + Intuition) What is scientific method? It begins by observation ( empiricism ) Then by generating a theory for what we already observed. Is it true? Will have to test it under controlled conditions to investigate its accuracy. Test it again and again, under different conditions. ( Testable ) Is it true now? What we just found to be true will be rejected in the presence of counter- evidence ( Refutable ). Something that is not refutable cannot be tested. Thus it cannot be demonstrated. A good example of this would be “ faith .” I will just put it like that.

7. The Scientific Method Formation of a problem/issue Frame a hypothesis to be tested Hypothesis – “A predicted relationship between variables.” ; “A tentative statement about the relationship between variables.” ; “A testable prediction made by a theory.” Variable – “The element measured in research investigation.” Operational definition – “Procedures to make constructs measurable.” E.g. – Satisfaction, Self-efficacy. Research design; and data collection Theorize and publicize. Theory – “An explanation about certain phenomena.” Theory – “A set of principles that explains a group of facts, especially a set of principles that has been repeatedly tested and can be used to make predictions. A good theory should be testable, fruitful, elegant . It should be falsifiable . Occam’s Razor – “One should shave away unnecessary assumptions.” KISS – “Keep it simple and stylish” Purpose of science – Description, Prediction, Understanding, and Control

8. Problem – As I drive myself in the heavy traffic of the baseline road in Colombo, I got really frustrated. I started to use my vehicle horn unnecessarily. I observed that not only I, many other people do that too. I even became aggressive and verbally started to abuse fellow drivers too. So my problem is, why do we become aggressive when we are frustrated? Hypothesis – The role of frustration in causing aggression But how do we measure these constructs? Operational definitions . Any research design ? Experimental design ? Confirm or reject the hypothesis. Publicize the findings.

9. Varieties of Scientific Approaches Basic research vs. applied research Research conducted in pursuit of pure knowledge, which may or may not have direct practical application is called basic research . Principles discovered through basic research are applied to a real-life problem for human benefit is called applied research . Nomothetic vs. idiographic research Studies focused on characteristics of groups and “average” performance (more common) are nomothetic . Studies more focused on individuals are called idiographic .

10. Why do we psychologists need research? Research methods give psychologists ways and alternatives to establish evidence for their theory about people.

11. References Gravetter, J, F., Wallnau, L, B. (2009) Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences. 8th edn. Wadsworth; Belmont, CA.

12. Q & A : Ways of Knowing