the research process Wk1 & 2 Flashcards Preview

Human Services Research > the research process Wk1 & 2 > Flashcards

Flashcards in the research process Wk1 & 2 Deck (42)
Loading flashcards...
1
Q

Science is not

A

a thing, it is a process; a method of inquiring about, and understanding, nature

2
Q

There are two types of knowledge:

A

(i) agreement (i.e. second-hand, e.g. tradition and authority; social) and (ii) experiential (i.e. first-hand; personal)

3
Q

The two benefits of agreement knowledge are:

A

(i) it’s practical and (ii) socially reinforcing

4
Q

Some of the characteristics of science are:

A

(i) that it is conscious, deliberate, and rigorous; (ii) that is searches for what reality is and how we know what reality is; and (iii) that it requires logic and testing to help us decide what reality is when agreement and experiential knowledge contradict each other

5
Q

The nature of reality is a philosophical problem with three approaches:

A

(i) pre-modern, (ii) modern, and (iii) post-modern

6
Q

What is the difference between the approaches to reality for pre-modernism and modernism

A

they both hold that reality exists and that humans see that reality, but that modernism does not make judgments in accuracy about differences in what is seen;

7
Q

Social scientists are humans and so they can make cognitive errors, but

A

that they can use science to help guard against these errors

8
Q

Four of the more common cognitive errors that can occur when trying to find reality (and how science guards against them) are:

A

(i) inaccurate observation (deliberate observation), (ii) overgeneralisation (large and representative sampling and replication), (iii) selective observation (involve other researchers), and (iv) illogical reasoning (involve other researchers)

9
Q

The meaning of epistemology is that

A

it refers to the science of knowing

10
Q

There are two main characteristics of science:

A

logic and observation

11
Q

There are three activities involved in science:

A

theory, data collection, and data analysis

12
Q

Logic is used to

A

design and develop scientific theory; that observations are made when collecting data; and that data analysis compares what is actually observed or collected with what would logically be expected (as outlined in the theory)

13
Q

Scientific theory is not based on

A

philosophy or belief and therefore cannot answer debates about ethics/morality/values

14
Q

Scientific theory in the social sciences focuses

A

not on individuals (in the way psychology does) but on groups of people. As a result, it is also concerned with the system that influences groups of people

15
Q

The three main functions of scientific theory are to

A

(i) explore, (ii) describe, and (iii) explain patterns in social life

16
Q

Even though there is less regularity in social life

A

than in physical life, there are still patterns (both formally prescribed and less informally socially normative) that can be investigated in the social sciences

17
Q

Exceptions to the rule, people’s choice to behave inconsistently, and the charge of triviality do not make the patterns investigated in social science

A

null or insignificant

18
Q

There are four different theoretical approaches to social research; each of which represent an opposing view, but are best used as complementary rather than competing approaches:

A

(i) idiographic and nomothetic, (ii) inductive and deductive, (iii) qualitative and quantitative, and (iv) pure and applied

19
Q

Idiographic explanations seek only to fully explain

A

one specific event,

20
Q

but that nomothetic explanations seek to partially explain

A

many similar events

21
Q

Inductive reasoning uses

A

a specific event to make general inferences,

22
Q

deductive reasoning uses

A

general patterns to make an inference about a specific event

23
Q

Qualitative data is

A

non-numeric and captures the reasons why a pattern may be occurring

24
Q

quantitative data is

A

numeric and captures the extent to which the pattern is occurring

25
Q

The main advantage of quantitative data is

A

that it allows researchers to aggregate, compare and summarise data,

26
Q

the main disadvantage of quantitative data is

A

that the numbers do not capture the rich meaning behind them

27
Q

The main advantage of qualitative data is

A

that it allows researchers to capture the rich meaning of people’s experiences,

28
Q

the main disadvantage of qualitative data is

A

that people mean different things and therefore they cannot be compared

29
Q

Pure research is conducted simply

A

for the sake of understanding a social phenomenon, and that applied research puts pure research into practice with the intention of making society more humane

30
Q

There are 11 main activities involved in research:

A

(i) choose a topic, (ii) develop a research question, (iii) design the study, (iv) select the sample, (v) select the measures, (vi) collect the data, (vii) thematically code the data, (viii) enter the data into software, (ix) analyse the data, (x) write up the results, (xi) disseminate the results

31
Q

There are nine main parts of a research report:

A

(i) title, (ii) abstract, (iii) introduction, (iv) literature review, (v) method, (vi) results, (vii) discussion, (viii), references, and (ix) appendices

32
Q

‘Abstract’ contains

A

ALL the parts,

33
Q

‘Introduction’ contains

A

the topic area,

34
Q

‘Literature review’ contains

A

the hypothesis/research questions

35
Q

‘Method’ contains

A

the sample, measures, data collection, coding, and entry

36
Q

‘Results’ contains

A

preliminary and indirect analysis

37
Q

Discussion’ contains

A

in-depth and direct/overt analysis

38
Q

Theory, research and practice are not

A

mutually exclusive, but rather mutually affect one another

39
Q

Pre-modern approach:

A

Reality exists
Humans see reality
If humans differ on what they see, the ‘other’ is wrong

40
Q

Modern approach:

A

Reality exists
Humans see reality
If humans differ on what they see, neither are right or wrong
“Different strokes for different folks”
Reality exists but the views about it do not belong to the object, only the viewer

41
Q

Post modern approach:

A

Humans do not see reality because there is no reality to see

All that is real is the viewer’s ‘perspective’

42
Q

What is the difference between the post-modernism approach to reality

A

it holds that an objective reality does not exist independent of perceived reality