1. Chapter 1
Introduction to Scientific Research
9/4/2012

2. Roadmap
• Taking a course in research methods is like
_______ .
• Course roster verification
• Blackboard: Keep checking for materials
– PPT slides
• Chapter 1

3. Introduction to Scientific Research
• What is Science?
• What is scientific research?
• What are the goals of scientific research?
• What are the assumptions of scientific research?
• What is the role of the researcher and theory?
• What is Pseudoscience and how do we recognize it?

4. How do we Acquire Knowledge?
• Multiple ways to acquire knowledge

5. Knowledge Acquisition
• Intuition: a way to acquire knowledge not
based on reasoning or inferring
• Authority: accepting information as fact
because it comes from a highly respected
source

6. Knowledge Acquisition
• Rationalism- acquire knowledge through
reasoning
• Empiricism- acquisition of knowledge through
experience

7. Science
• A way of acquiring information that is designed
to systematically produce reliable and valid
information about the world
• Different “scientific methods” throughout history

8. • So what is science and how do we do it?
• First, understand the basic assumptions
underlying scientific research.

9. Basic Assumptions Underlying
Scientific Research
• Uniformity/Regularity in Nature
• Determinism- the belief that there are causes
of behavior and mental processes.

10. Basic assumptions cont.
• Reality in Nature
• Discoverability
– Assumption that it is possible to discover the
uniformities that exist in nature.

11. Characteristics of Scientific Research
• We rely on these to produce reliable
knowledge:
• Control
• Operationalism
• Replication

12. Control
• Control refers to eliminating any extraneous
variables that could affect observations.
• Impacts ability to draw causal inferences

13. Operationalism
• In science we must be specific with regard to what
we are talking about.
• An operational definition is the definition of a
concept by the operations or measures used to
measure them.
– Example: Anxiety

14. Replication
• Ability to reproduce the findings from another
study.
• If the findings are “real” then I should be able
to replicate someone else’s study.
– What might affect this?
• What if we can’t replicate results?

15. Replication, cont.
• Problem: the importance of replication in
science ≠ commitment to carrying out
replication studies
• Meta-analysis: Quantitative technique for
describing the relationship between variables
across multiple research studies.

16. Goals of Scientific Research
• Ultimately, science seeks to understand the
world around us.
• Description
• Explanation
• Prediction
• Control

17. Description
• Typically where science starts.
• Describe the phenomenon.

18. Explanation
• Determine WHY something happens
– Identify antecedent conditions
• Most things are not caused by only one factor
but rather multiple factors.

19. Prediction
• After we know what something is and why it
occurs, we want to be able to predict it.
• Prediction is the ability to anticipate the
occurrence of an event before it occurs.

20. Control
• Control in this case refers to the manipulation
of antecedent conditions to produce a change
in outcome.
*Note: multiple uses of the word “control”
– See p. 22 in text for discussion

21. Role of Theory in Scientific Research
Observations from studies
Formulate Theory
Generate testable hypotheses using the theory
Prediction false Prediction True
Theory is inaccurate Theory is useful in explaining
phenomenon

22. Role of the Scientist (read in text)
• Curiosity
– “Serendipity- the art of finding one thing while
looking for another” (Skinner, 1956)
– “Chance favors the prepared mind”
(Pasteur, 1854)
• Patience
• Objectivity
• Change

23. Pseudoscience
• Pseudoscience is an approach that claims to
be scientific but is not based on scientific
methods
• Based on methods and practices that violate
many tenets of science

24. Ways to identify Pseudoscience
• Creating new (ad hoc) hypotheses to explain
away negative findings
• Emphasis on Confirmation rather than
Refutation- reinterpret negative findings as
support.

25. Ways to identify Pseudoscience
• Absence of Self- Correction
• Reversed Burden of Proof
• Overreliance on Testimonials and Anecdotal Evidence

26. Ways to identify Pseudoscience
• Use of Obscure language to make a claim
sound like it has survived scientific scrutiny
• Absence of a connection with other disciplines
that study related issues

27. Suggestion:
To help you get in the psychological scientist
mindframe, check out:
www.psychologicalscience.org
APS on facebook
Follow PsychScience on Twitter

28. Questions?