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

Chapter 2 Fill-in-the-Blank Questions
Research is a Process of Inquiry

Now that you have familiarity with the new key terms of this chapter, it is time to begin using the terms in the context of the chapter material. See if you can fill-in-the-blanks in the following discussions. To get the correct answer, click on the blank.

  1. Research is a systematic searching for information. This text refers to it as a process of __________. Science differs from other ways of acquiring knowledge in that science combines __________ and __________. This combination places heavy demands on the adequacy of the information it uses. Scientists carefully observe events (the __________ component) and try to make sense out of the observations (the __________ component).

  2. In scientific research, the observations constitute the __________ of research. In psychology, we usually observe the __________ __________ __________ . But psychologists may be interested in more than just the external behavior of organisms. Psychologists study concepts such as memory, intelligence, attitudes, and perception, which are not __________ __________. Instead, these variables are __________ from our behavioral observations.

  3. Since the psychologist often studies events like memory that cannot be directly observed, it is important to make the distinction between __________ and __________ . Internal processes such as memory are not directly __________. Instead, the researcher infers the existence of these processes on the basis of __________ __________ . Concepts such as memory are constructed by the researcher and are referred to as __________. Once constructed by the researcher, they are used __________ __________ they existed in fact and really were related to observable events. However, it is important to remember that these constructs are not __________. It is very easy to begin to view these __________ as if they were true. Confusing a construct for a fact is known as __________ of a construct.

  4. Constructs are initially __________ from observations of behavior. Once the constructs are developed, they can be used to __________ new behavior. Scientists move back and forth from observations to constructs, refining the __________ on the basis of the observations, and then using the constructs to predict new __________. By using observations and constructs in this descriptive and explanatory manner, we construct an analogue or __________ to represent reality. A __________ is a small scale representation of reality. It simplifies reality, allowing us to visualize and understand relationships between variables. But, the model is always __________ and can always be replaced by better models.

  5. The process of moving back and forth from observations to constructs is actually two processes. Inferring the existence of constructs on the basis of observations is known as __________. Predicting new observations on the basis of the inferred construct is known as __________. This __________ /__________ process mirrors the concept of rationalism/empiricism that is the hallmark of all science.

  6. A theory is a set of concepts that organizes __________ and __________ about __________ phenomena. A theory must be __________. We want our theories to be __________, i.e., make testable __________, which are confirmed by __________. __________ theories stay very close to the observed __________. A deductive theory emphasizes __________. Functional theories involve __________ and __________. A __________ is less developed than a formalized theory.

  7. Your textbook has offered a two-dimensional model of the research process. One dimension is the phases of research and the second dimension is the levels of constraint. The __________-__________-_________ dimension refers to the sequence of steps that the researcher goes through in conducting any research study. The __________-__________-_________ dimension refers to the precision, structure, and control that distinguish one research study from another.

  8. Your authors describe seven phases of the research process. Most research projects move in order from one phase to another as the research progresses. The __________-__________ phase is the first step in any research project. This early idea-generating activity of the researcher is nourished by the curiosity and enthusiasm of the researcher. In the __________-__________ phase of research, the researcher refines the initial idea(s) into one or more specific testable research questions. In the __________ __________ phase the researcher makes all the decisions about exactly how the research project is to be carried out, such as how the participants will be selected, how the variables are to be measured, and how the data will be analyzed. The __________ phase is the central task of research. In this phase the researcher actually makes the empirical observations that will be evaluated in the last three phases. In the __________-__________ phase the researcher evaluates the information gained in the previous phase, using one or more statistical procedures. During the __________ phase, the researcher seeks to make sense out of the results of the study. This phase uses __________ reasoning primarily to take us from the specific results of the study back to the generality of the theory. Finally, in the __________ phase the researcher reports on his or her findings, usually in an article or convention presentation. Research reports often stimulate ideas that generate further research.

  9. The second dimension of the research model presented in this text is the __________-__________-__________ aspect, which refers to a dimension of precision and control. This dimension is conceived of as a continuum from the __________ -constraint, flexible procedures characteristic of early research in an area to the very highly __________ and precise research characteristic of most experiments. Even though this dimension is conceived of as a continuum, your authors have defined five __________ of constraint. The higher constraint procedures have the highest level of __________, but the cost is a reduction in __________. The lowest constraint level of scientific research is __________ observation, which involves the observation of participants in their natural environment. Here the researcher does not constrain the behavior of the participants in any way. A slightly higher constraint level is the __________-__________ method of observation in which the researcher might constrain the participant's behavior by asking the participant to perform certain tasks or to answer certain questions. However, even at this level, the researcher retains the ability to move flexibly from one area to another, following whatever ideas seem most promising. In the __________ method, the researcher seeks to quantify the degree of relationship between two or more variables. Since this level of constraint involves quantification of a relationship, the researcher is required to use clearly defined and precise (constrained) procedures for the measurement of the variables. In the __________ method of research, the researcher compares two or more groups on one or more variables, where the groups are defined on the basis of some preexisting measure. The highest level of constraint is the __________ method, where the researcher compares two or more groups that are created by the researcher. Here, the researcher controls every aspect of the research including the definition of the groups.