chapter1

Question 0

Two empirical methods of ways of knowing:

Answer 0

Intuition

Science

Question 1

Two non-empirical methods of ways of knowing:

Answer 1

Authority

Logic

Question 2

Define authority:

Answer 2

Believe something because expert source told you it is true

Question 3

The limitations of authority:

Answer 3

1 authorities are often wrong
2 source may not be truly authoritative
3 source biased by a particular point of view

Question 4

Define logic:

Answer 4

Formal rules of correct and incorrect reasoning

Question 5

The limitations of logic:

Answer 5

Statement can be logically valid and still not true.

ex: men cannot read; Bob is a man; so he cannot read

Question 6

Define intuition:

Answer 6

Spontaneous prediction that is not based in reasoned mental steps; based on experiences

Question 7

Define common sense:

Answer 7

Practical intelligence shared by a large group of people

Question 8

The limitations of intuition:

Answer 8

1 numerous cognitive and motivational biases
2 standards differ based on culture, time, place and attitude
3 pragmatic rather than theoretical, so cannot do prediction

Question 9

What is science?

Answer 9

A way of obtaining knowledge by means of objective evaluation(observation)

Question 10

What do you mean by objective?

Answer 10

Everyone will see the same thing while looking over the scientists’ shoulder in observation.
Cannot be verified by one observation

Question 11

The 5 working assumptions of science:

Answer 11

Realism
Rationality
Regularity
Discoverability
Determinism

Question 12

Define realism:

Answer 12

The philosophy that objects perceived have an existence outside the mind

Question 13

Define rationality:

Answer 13

A view that reasoning is the basis of solving problems

Question 14

Define regularity:

Answer 14

Phenomena exist in recurring patterns that conform with universal law

Question 15

Define discoverability:

Answer 15

The belief that it is possible to learn solutions to questions posed

Question 16

Define determinism:

Answer 16

The doctrine that all events happen because of preceding causes

Question 17

Two goals of science:

Answer 17

Discovery of regularities

Development of theories

Question 18

Define law:

Answer 18

Statement that certain events are regularly associated with each other in an orderly way.
relation does not have to be perfect
Does not have to state cause-effect relationship

Question 19

Define theory:

Answer 19

Statements explaining one or more laws which usually includes one indirect concept that needed to explain the relationship

Question 20

Three roles of theories:

Answer 20

1 Organize knowledge and explain laws
2 predict new laws
3 guides research

Question 21

Two things that a good theory must have:

Answer 21

1 have falsifiability

2 can make risky predictions

Question 22

The goal of discovering regularities can be considered in three ways:

Answer 22

1 the description of behavior
2 the discovery of lawful relationships among aspects of behavior
3 the search of causes

Question 23

7 characteristics of science:

Answer 23

Empirical
Objective
Self-correcting
Progressive
Tentative
Parsimonious
Concern with theory

Question 24

Explain the relationships between science and nonscience:

Answer 24

Logic and common sense have importance roles in science. We are not reject other ways of knowing. What makes scientists different is their willingness to change those beliefs based on objectively obtained empirical evidence derived from their method of inquiry.

Question 25

Define hypothesis:

Answer 25

Statement assumed true for purpose of testing its validity.

Can take form of if-then statement

Question 26

Explain the role of hypothesis in scientific inquiry:

Answer 26

A hypothesis about a law involves certain assumptions about the theory underlying the law. It is a way to test theory.

Question 27

Define operationism:

Answer 27

Scientific concepts are defined in terms of objects operations

Question 28

Define operational definition:

Answer 28

A statement of the precise meaning of a procedure or concept within an experiment

Question 29

Two types of operational definitions:

Answer 29

1 measured - dependent variable
How observations are to be made and what to observe
2 experimental - independent variable
How experimental procedures are to be followed

Question 30

Define converging operations:

Answer 30

Using different operational definitions to arrive at the meaning of a concept

Question 31

5 characteristics of a good operational definition:

Answer 31

Empirical
Quantitative
Reliable
Valid
Sensitive

Question 32

Define paradigm:

Answer 32

A set of laws, theories, methods and applications that form a scientific research tradition; Kuhn’s concept

Question 33

The role of common sense in science:

Answer 33

Scientific knowledge often contradicts common sense, but ultimately it rests on a certain kind of common sense

Question 34

Define temporal precedence:

Answer 34

Something that occurs prior to anther thing

Question 35

Define elimination of alternative explanation:

Answer 35

No explanation for an effect other than the purported cause if possible

Question 36

Define co-variation of cause and effect:

Answer 36

When the cause is introduced, the effect occurs

Question 37

The reason why description of behavior is important:

Answer 37

It defined the subject matter for which laws are to be sought and theories developed;
Description can be thought of as creating the subject matter of science

Question 38

The feature of operational definition:

Answer 38

Theoretical term is equated with procedure used to measure or produce it

Question 39

What is Falsifiability:

Answer 39

The ability to be disproof