Understanding Knowledge and the Scientific Method

What is Knowledge?

• Knowledge is gained through intuition (anecdotal, experiential, or judgmental), relying on experience without critical thinking.
• It can also come from evaluating oneself or others. This includes biases, such as illusory correlations.
• Knowledge is gained through authority figures (when placed on someone else deemed more knowledgeable).

How Do We Know?

• Intuition: relying on personal experiences, without critical analysis. Subjective insights.
• Authority: trusting experts or authorities holding relevant (supposed) knowledge. This is influenced by how much we think that person knows.
• Empiricism (Scientific Method): gaining knowledge through systematic observations about the world. Uses objective and systematic observations, testable/falsifiable ideas, tested by humans (though biases can occur).

The Scientific Method

• Empiricism: gaining knowledge through systematic observation
• Objective and systematic observation, testable, falsifiable ideas
• Concluded by humans and often with biases.
• Scientific skepticism: not to easily accept things as truths: evaluate evidence thoroughly.
• Four Norms for Scientific Inquiry (for the best science):
  • Universalism: systematic and structured observation
  • Communality: open sharing of methods and results
  • Disinterestedness: objective observations, not driven by personal gain
  • Organized skepticism: all theories and data should be evaluated (even own work or pre-existing beliefs.) This can be through peer, or expert review and critique..

Goals of Scientific Research

• Describe behavior
• Predict behavior
• Determine the cause of behavior including cause and effect, temporal precedence (cause before effect), ruling out other explanations
• Understand or Explain behavior

Causation Criteria

• Covariation of cause and effect: a change in one variable is accompanied by a change in another.
• Temporal precedence: the cause must happen before the effect in time.
• Rule out alternative explanations: Ensure there are no other explanations for the observed effect.

Qualities of a Scientist

• Curiosity, humility, tolerance for uncertainty
• Nullius in Verba
• Freedom from ideology, Objective/Source of ideology
• Transparency and honesty
• Ethics, Public knowledge
• Verifiable, Replicable

Science and Truth

• Science involves tentative truths, constant revision based on evidence.
• It can't answer all questions, but it can learn and reduce bias.
• There can be biases that should be minimized,
• The pursuit of truths.
• Reductionism.
• Balancing control with generalizability.

Research Ideas

• Research originates from common assumptions, observations, practical problems, and past research.

Theory vs Hypothesis

• Theory: A system of concepts that explains a phenomenon and its relationship to other phenomena. Grounded in and supports existing research.
• Hypothesis: a specific prediction that may be true, related to a theory.
• Hypotheses are tested, and contribute to or refute existing theory.

Research Methods

• Quantitative methods: Correlational or experimental
• Correlational research: Observing phenomena and associations
• Experimental research: Manipulating a variable and observing effects.
• Qualitative research: Observing and exploring phenomena.
• Research can be basic (fundamental questions, theory development ) or applied (practical solutions).

This quiz explores the concept of knowledge, including its sources like intuition, authority, and empiricism. It delves into how we acquire knowledge and the importance of the scientific method in our understanding of the world. Test your understanding of these key ideas and their implications.