Philosophies and Research Quality Quiz

Research Quality

• Quality of research depends on the subjects, comparison groups, variables measured and controlled, settings, and methodology.
• Interpretation of results is important to understand significance and limitations.

Philosophies and Ideas

• Historical records from China, India, and Greece influenced technology and idea transfer.
• Formal writing emerged and spread globally.
• Indigenous philosophies require an ethnophilosophical approach, understanding the importance of oral traditions, stories, cultural practices, and rituals.
• Non-Western philosophies have their own unique expressions and should be recognized.

Scientific Method Origins

• Aristotle is credited with formalizing the process of testing ideas.
• Similar ideas existed in Chinese, Arabic, and African writings.

Rationalism (Rene Descartes)

• Descartes investigated ontology (the study of being) and epistemology (the study of knowledge).
• Cartesian Skepticism: Questioning the nature of knowledge and reality.

Descartes’ Philosophical Inquiry

• Key questions for understanding reality and the nature of knowledge:
  • How do I know what I believe is true?
  • Can senses be trusted?
• Apple barrel metaphor:
  • Examine each idea critically
• Ontological question:
  • What is the nature of reality if senses can be deceived?
• Cogito Ergo Sum: “I think, therefore I am”

Empiricism (John Locke)

• Empiricism emphasizes knowledge through physical experience.
• Primary Qualities: Weight, mass, density (objectively real)
• Secondary Qualities: Colour, taste, texture, smell (subjectively real)

Immaterialism (George Berkeley)

• Primary and secondary qualities are inseparable and perception is the key to existence.
• "Esse Est Percepi" – To be is to be perceived.

Post Modernism (Michel Foucault)

• Societal truths are shaped by power dynamics influencing knowledge creation, sharing, and enforcement.
• Postmodernism emphasizes subjective relativism over objective reality.

Knowledge and Science

• Knowledge is defined as Justified, True, Belief.
  • Justification: Evidence or support
  • Truth: Objectively or perceptually correct
  • Belief: Considered true but needing justification

Summary

• Epistemological Question:
  • What is knowledge?
  • How do I come to know things?
• Ontological Question:
  • What is real?
  • What type of things exist?
  • What is the nature of reality?
• Philosophical Contributions:
  • Descartes: Rationalism and the existence of self.
  • Locke: Empirical evidence and primary/secondary qualities.
  • Berkeley: Perception as existence.

Appeal to Authority

• Belief in something based solely on the authority of the person without supporting facts.
• Relies on fame, power, status outside their domain of competence.
• It is logically fallacious.

Heuristics

• Mental shortcuts to simplify complex decisions.
• Enable quick decision-making with limited information.
• Can lead to errors or biases.

Historical Examples of Appeal to Authority

• Thalidomide Scandal: Authorities assured the safety of thalidomide, leading to severe birth defects.
• Geocentric Model: Acceptance of Earth-centered universe based on ancient scholars like Ptolemy, until evidence supported the heliocentric model.

Assumptions vs Axioms

• Axioms:
  • Universally accepted truths, foundational in logical systems.
  • Not subject to debate (e.g., “I think therefore I am”).
• Assumptions:
  • Accepted as true without concrete evidence, often for argument’s sake.
  • Subject to questioning and revision based on new evidence.

Science as a Process

• Science is a process to determine reality through experimentation, observation, and logic.
• Science is divided into natural sciences, social sciences, and formal sciences.
• Research is an adventure into the unknown.
• It involves asking falsifiable questions, emphasizing proving oneself wrong to promote objectivity.

Self-Correcting Nature of Science

• Key Components:
  • Hypothesis testing and refinement.
  • Replication and verification.
  • Peer review and publication.
  • Feedback, criticism, and paradigm shifts.
  • Technological advancements.
• Outcome: Continuous improvement and refinement of knowledge.

Fallacious Arguments Related to Appeal to Authority

• Ad Hominem: Attacking the person instead of the argument.
• Straw Man: Misrepresenting an argument to make it easier to attack.
• Slippery Slope: Arguing a specific action will lead to an undesirable outcome.
• False Dichotomy: Presenting only two options when more exist.
• Bandwagon Fallacy: Believing something is true because many others do.

Information Evaluation

• Guiding Principles:
  • Healthy skepticism.
  • Consider context.
  • Look for supporting work and consensus.
• Modern Challenges: Managing information overload with critical thinking and reliable sources.

Worldviews in Kinesiology Research

• Epistemology: the study of knowledge and belief.
  • Concerned with the nature, sources, and limits of knowledge.
  • Explores how knowledge is acquired and justified.
  • Investigates the distinction between knowledge and belief and between true and false beliefs.

Research Design in Kinesiology

• Introduction to Research Design:
  • Qualitative Research:
    • Uses theory.
    • Emphasizes understanding and interpretation.
    • Data is subjective.
    • Mostly based in constructionist world view.
  • Quantitative Research:
    • Uses theory.
    • Hypothesis (Questions) must be falsifiable.
    • Emphasizes measurement and analysis.
    • Mostly based on a positivist world view.
    • Specific research designs (e.g., case studies, experiments, surveys)

Research Approaches and Methods

• Quantitative Research focuses on relationships between variables.
  • Uses numerical data and statistical analysis.
  • Independent and dependent variables.
  • Research designs: causal, experimental, correlational.
  • Common data collection methods: surveys, measurements of variables.
• Qualitative Research focuses on experiences and perspectives.
  • Uses narrative data and thematic analysis.
  • Research approaches: case study, ethnography, grounded theory, phenomenology.
  • Common data collection methods: in-depth interviews, focus groups, observations, document analysis.
• Mixed Methods Research combines quantitative and qualitative research methods.
  • Provides a more comprehensive understanding of a research problem.
  • Research designs: concurrent, explanatory, exploratory.
  • Integration of quantitative and qualitative components.
• Two-Eyed Seeing Research integrates Indigenous and Western knowledge systems.
  • Respectful collaboration with Indigenous knowledge holders.
  • Research designs incorporate both Indigenous and Western methodologies.
  • Emphasis on cultural preservation and environmental sustainability.

Research Design and Methodology

• Quantitative Research: experimental and correlational designs.
• Qualitative Research: case study, ethnography, grounded theory, phenomenology.
• Mixed Methods Research: concurrent, explanatory, exploratory designs.
• Two-Eyed Seeing Research: integration of Indigenous and Western methodologies.

Data Collection Methods

• Quantitative Research: surveys, physiological measurements.
• Qualitative Research: in-depth interviews, focus groups, observations, document analysis

Questions to Consider

• How does serendipity play a role in scientific discoveries, and how can researchers ensure such findings are scientifically validated?
• How does the scientific method promote objectivity and reliability in research findings?

Specific Questions to Remember

• APA Style:
  • What does APA stand for?
  • Why do we use APA in Kinesiology? (2 reasons).
  • Is APA limited to the formatting of citations? Or does it extend to the whole paper?
  • If you were to view an APA reference that had errors in it, could you find and indicate them?
• Scientific Method of Problem Solving:
  • What are the steps of the scientific method?
  • What occurs in each step of the scientific method?
• Characteristics of Research:
  • What are the 5 characteristics of research that we covered in class?
  • How are those 5 characteristics realized?
• Visual System and Predictive Nature of the Mind:
  • When we process visual information, is that information completely accurate?
  • Why would our minds be considered prediction machines?
  • Does the predictive context just involve the visual system or are many senses vulnerable to the predictive nature of our minds?
• Variables:
  • What would make a variable discrete?
  • What would make a variable continuous?
• Subject Pool Considerations:
  • Why is it important to understand and describe the characteristics of your subject pool in a research paper?
  • Is it important that the subject pool mirrors the population?
  • If the two are vastly different, how could you argue that the results from an animal experiment in rats is somehow applicable to humans? What level of confidence do you have in these results as they apply to humans?

Explore the critical foundations of research quality, the historical philosophies that shaped ideas across cultures, and the origins of the scientific method. This quiz delves into influential thinkers like Aristotle and Descartes, examining their contributions to ontology, epistemology, and research methodology.