Week 1 (What is research)

Question 1

Experiential reality vs agreement reality:

Answer 1

Experiential reality
What we “know” from personal or direct experience and observation

Agreement reality
What we “know” as part and parcel of the culture we share with those around us

Question 2

Four casual or everyday ways of knowing:

Answer 2

-Personal experience
-Common sense
-Tradition
-Authority

Question 3

Four common errors in inquiry:

Answer 3

Inaccurate Observations

Illogical Reasoning (The gambler’s fallacy)

Overgeneralization

Selective Observations (Confirmation bias)

Question 4

Scientific assertions must be:

Answer 4

Logical (make sense) and based on Empirical evidence (evidence/data)

Question 5

Three foundations of social science:

Answer 5

Social science is composed of three major aspects: Theory + Data Collection + Data Analysis

Aggregates!…not individuals?

Variables & Attributes

Question 6

Variables and their relationship:

Answer 6

independent variable: the presumed cause of a dependent variable, it leads to changes in the dependent variable

Dependent variable: the presumed effect of an independent variable, its values/scores are caused by (depend on) the independent var

Question 7

Dialectas and key terms in social research:

Answer 7

Idiographic (multiple causes to specific events) and Nomothetic explanations (few causes to board categories events)

Inductive(specific to general) and Deductive( General to specific) reasoning

Quantitative and Qualitative Research and Mixed Methods Research