Ninth Edition CoverGraziano & Raulin
Research Methods (9th edition)

Chapter 1 Essay Questions
Curiosity, Creativity, and Commitment

  1. Explain the process of thinking and problem solving that characterizes science.

  2. Define each of the different methods of acquiring knowledge discussed in Chapter 1.

  3. How do rationalism and empiricism complement one another (i.e., how do the strengths of one match the weaknesses of the other)?

  4. In what ways are science and art alike?

  5. Discuss the historical relationship between religious philosophy and science. What do you think is the basis for the conflict that has persisted between these two areas over such a long period of time?

  6. The popular press will often misrepresent science by highlighting arguments or disagreements between scientists as evidence that the scientists really do not know what they are doing. Why is this a misrepresentation? How does the process of science really work?

  7. Explain this statement: For some types of decisions, most of the common ways of knowing are not sufficient, and we need the precision of science.

  8. What is meant by the statement “science involves a process of thinking”?

  9. Your friend asserts that scientists “can’t make up their minds, that they argue with each other constantly, and they even change their views from one time to another. So how can they claim they know what they are talking about when they can’t even stick to their views or agree with each other?” How would you answer this?

  10. A common belief is that scientists and artists are fundamentally different types and that they have little in common. A “scientific person” supposedly cannot appreciate art, and the “artistic person” supposedly cannot understand science and math. If you were talking to someone who asserted this, how would you respond?

  11. If you were discussing science with your friend, how would you explain that a person sitting under a tree and just thinking could be operating scientifically?

  12. Think about the idea of intuition; does it have a place in science and research? Defend your answer.

  13. In this chapter, six ways of acquiring knowledge were discussed. List them. For each one write down its characteristics.

  14. Explain the idea of “the prepared mind” and explain its importance in science.

  15. How are science and technology overlapping yet different?

  16. What is creative about science?

  17. What are some of the major characteristics of scientists as a group?

  18. What are the limitations of rationalism? Of empiricism?

  19. What is the orderliness belief? What has it to do with modern science?

  20. What is the relationship of the early crafts, such as metallurgy, to the later emergence of abstract science?

  21. How did science survive under the domination of the religious thinkers?

  22. Review the criteria for pseudoscience. Can you recognize it when you see it? Think of several theories, claims, movements, books, etc., that meet the criteria for being pseudoscience. 

  23. Can you think of several examples of pseudoscience that are currently in the popular culture? How do you know that they are pseudoscience and not true science?

  24. Think about the problems that women had entering universities, psychology, and other professions in the first part of the 20th century. Consider those problems in the light of today’s society. Look around, read the newspapers; are there any comparable barriers today to groups of people?