SAGE Journal Articles
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Following up on suggestions that attitudes toward science are multi-dimensional, we analyze nationally representative survey data collected in the United States in 2014 (N = 2006), and demonstrate the existence of a science confidence gap: some people place great trust in scientific methods and principles, but simultaneously distrust scientific institutions. This science confidence gap is strongly associated with the level of education: it is larger among the less educated than among the more educated. We investigate explanations for these educational differences. Whereas hypotheses deduced from reflexive-modernization theory do not pass the test, those derived from theorizing on the role of anomie are corroborated. The less educated are more anomic (they have more modernity-induced cultural discontents), which not only underlies their distrust in scientific institutions, but also fuels their trust in scientific methods and principles. This explains why this science confidence gap is most pronounced among the less educated.
Questions to Consider
1. Explain what is meant by “the existence of a science confidence gap.”
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Difficulty Level: Medium
2. What do the authors mean by “modernity-induced cultural discontents” in regard to the survey respondents?
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Difficulty Level: Medium
3. Explain the inferences made by the researchers. Does it appear their research question(s) were answered? Do you believe these were sound conclusions?
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Difficulty Level: Medium
Two studies explored conceptual change in undergraduate psychology students’ acceptance of the scientific foundations of the discipline. In Study 1, Introductory Psychology students completed the Psychology as Science questionnaire (PAS) at the beginning and end of the semester and did so from their own (self condition) and their instructors’ (professor condition) perspectives. Study 2 replicated Study 1 with advanced students enrolled in research-oriented courses. In both studies, students had higher PAS scores in the professor than the self condition and there was a modest change from the beginning to the end of the semester in Self PAS scores. The change in Self PAS scores was positively related to higher Professor PAS scores at the end of the semester, when controlling for initial Professor PAS scores and other variables. The discussion highlights pedagogical practices that promote students’ representation of their professors’ thinking about the discipline as distinct from and an alternative to their own misconceptions.
Questions to Consider
1. How well do you think the studies answered the research problem?
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Difficulty Level: Medium
2.How well do you think the studies consisting of surveys of students before and after the course, followed the scientific method? Explain.
Cognitive Domain: Analysis
Difficulty Level: Medium
3. Since a major goal of this study was to “Test the claim that students are skeptical rather than ignorant of the discipline’s core values and beliefs” do you believe the scientific method was followed or was there some form of research bias present? Explain.
Cognitive Domain: Analysis
Difficulty Level: Medium
There are many guides on proper psychology, but far fewer on interesting psychology. This article presents six guidelines for interesting research. The first three—Phenomena First, Be Surprising, and Grandmothers, Not Scientists—suggest how to choose your research question; the last three—Be The Participant, Simple Statistics, and Powerful Beginnings—suggest how to answer your research question and offer perspectives on experimental design, statistical analysis, and effective communication. These guidelines serve as reminders that replicability is necessary but not sufficient for compelling psychological science. Interesting research considers subjective experience; it listens to the music of the human condition.
Questions to consider
1. In your own words, describe the three guidelines for choosing a research question (Phenomena First, Be Surprising, and Grandmothers, Not Scientists).
Learning Objective: Identifying an interesting research question
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Difficulty Level: Easy
2. When the authors say “Phenomena first,” they mean that you should: (a) provide an operational definition for the phenomena under investigation, (b) pick a topic that is meaningful in real life, (c) consider the importance of theories when picking a topic, (d) choose topics that are interesting and surprising.
Learning Objective: Choosing a specific topic
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Difficulty Level: Easy
3. According to the article, when a researcher has a complex method requiring complicated statistical analyses, they should consider: (a) hiring a statistical consultant; (b) laying out the steps required for the analyses; (c) redesigning their experiment; (d) consider whether a grandmother would understand it.
Learning Objective: Thinking about data analysis
Cognitive Domain: Evaluation
Difficulty Level: Medium
Research is the lifeblood of medicine, with innovations being made in the different technologies used to diagnose and/or screen for the presence of disease or to deliver treatments with higher efficacy. Scientific publication is the network of vessels which delivers the lifeblood. The outputs of research provide us with tomorrow’s medicine. In this series of articles, we will be discussing the different aspects of carrying out research, from the conception of the research idea to publication in a peer reviewed journal, with the cycle repeating again with new research ideas emerging from the research conducted.
Questions to Consider
1. Evaluate the author’s suggestions regarding the literature review. What do you see as the main point of this section and how does it compare to the information presented in Chapter 1?
Learning Objective: Conducting a literature review
Cognitive Domain: Analysis and Evaluation
Difficulty Level: Hard
2. This article presents the process of developing a research idea as: (a) secondary to completing your degree requirements, (b) dependent on your funding source and not up to the researcher, (c) is not critical to the research process, (d) a cycle where the research idea can be influenced the literature search.
Learning Objective: Choosing a research topic
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Difficulty Level: Easy
3. When conducting the literature review, which is not one of the author’s suggestions for questions to consider? (a) Was the paper published in a peer-reviewed journal? (b) Are the author’s arguments supported by evidence? (c) Is the author’s argument convincing? (d) Does the work help you understand the subject?
Learning Objective: Conducting a literature review
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Difficulty Level: Medium