Exam 1: Basic Concepts

Which of the following techniques is a common method of generating hypotheses? (circle all that apply)?

Define "operationalization." Provide an example by operationalizing the research question: "Does attraction increase liking?" Be sure to explain why your example is an appropriate operationalization of this research question.

What is the role of theory in social scientific research?

The key difference between a conceptual hypothesis and a research hypothesis is that:

The scientific method:

Compare and contrast operationalization and introspectionism.

Suppose a researcher obtains results that contradict the theory that helped inform the research question at hand. What possible explanations are there for unexpected findings? What are the implications for the theory? [most of chapter deals with this issue]

Benny and Jerome investigated whether people held different attitudes toward certain types of desserts. To do so, they had participants rank six types of desserts, with 1 = best and favorite, and 6 = worst, least favorite. This example would be considered a(n):

How would you operationalize the six phenomena below? Provide two or three unique operationalizations per phenomenon. a. Aggression b. Discrimination (i.e. as result of gender expression, age, race/ethnicity, etc.) c. Intoxication (i.e. as result of substance abuse) d. Happiness e. Love f. Creativity

Researchers wanted to know the evolutionary advantages of being able to jump, so they measured the maximum height at which hundreds of species were able to jump. This measurement would be considered a(n):

This chapter discussed the important of operationalization in research. Why is operationalization important in research?

Explain how the process of hypothesis testing and successive scientific investigations into the same concept or research question is a defining element of scientific research, but that we can never "prove" a theory. To illustrate your point, use the example of a master chef who claims to be the best chef in the entire world. Specifically, in your response, (a) use the provided chef example to explain the process of generating a hypothesis, operationalizing variables, testing hypotheses, and replicating findings from previous studies. In other words, provide a narrative walk-through of the hypothesis generating and testing process, starting at "a rogue chef walks into town and claims to be the best chef in the entire world." Also in your response, (b) be sure to explicitly identify what the hypothesis, operationalizations, results, and replications might be, in terms of the example scenario. (c) Explain how the chef's claim would be strengthened by successive replications of the same conceptual hypotheses. Finally, (d) explain whether the chef can ever "prove" that she (or he - you can choose) is the world's best chef.

Define "operationalization." Provide an example by operationalizing the research question: "Does attraction increase liking?" Be sure to explain why your example is an appropriate operationalization of this research question.

What does it mean for a theory to be "falsifiable?" Why is falsifiability an important aspect of the scientific method?

Name and briefly describe two methods of hypothesis generation in social scientific research.

Explain three different ways scientists might go about generating hypotheses. Specifically, how do we, as scientists, initially develop hypotheses and research questions for scientific investigation, and what are three different methods of doing so?

In general, a _____(a)_____ hypothesis is a prediction about the relationship between constructs, and guides the purposes of a research study; a _____(b)_____ hypothesis is a testable prediction about specific relationships and the direction of these relationships.