RESEARCH METHODS FOR THE
BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES (CH. 1, 2, & 3)
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH
SOLUTIONS 2025
Methods of Acquiring Knowledge - ANSWER ways in which a person can know things or discover answers
to questions.
Method of Tenacity - ANSWER when information is accepted as true because it has always been believed
or because superstition supports it.
Method of Intuition - ANSWER when information is accepted on the basis of a hunch or "gut feeling."
Method of Authority - ANSWER when a person relies on information or answers from an expert in the
subject area.
Method of Faith - ANSWER a variant of the method of authority in which people have unquestioning
trust in the authority figure and, therefore, accept information from the authority without doubt or
challenge
Rational Method/ Rationalism - ANSWER seek answers by the use of logical reasoning
Premise Statements - ANSWER describe facts or assumptions that are presumed to be true
Argument - ANSWER a set of premise statements that are logically combined to yield a conclusion
Empirical Method/ Empiricism - ANSWER uses observation or direct sensory experience to obtain
knowledge
Induction/ Inductive reasoning - ANSWER involves using a relatively small set of specific observations as
the basis for forming a general statement about a larger set of possible observations.
, Variables - ANSWER characteristics or conditions that change or have different values for different
individuals. For example, the weather the economy, and your state of health can change from day to day.
Also, two people can be different in terms of personality, intelligence, age, gender, self-esteem, height,
weight, and so on.
Hypothesis - ANSWER a statement that describes or explains a relationship between or among variables.
Deduction/ Deductive reasoning - ANSWER uses a general statement as the basis for reaching a
conclusion about specific examples
Scientific Method - ANSWER a method of acquiring knowledge that uses observations to develop a
hypothesis, and then uses the hypothesis to make logical predictions that can be empirically tested by
making additional, systematic observations. Typically, the new observations lead to a new hypothesis,
and the cycle continues.
Replication (repetition) - ANSWER allows verification of the findings
Pseudoscience - ANSWER a system of ideas often presented as science but actually is lacking some key
components that are essential to scientific research
Quantitive Research - ANSWER based on measuring variables for individual participants to obtain scores,
usually numerical values, that are submitted to statistical analysis for summary and interpretation
Qualitative Research - ANSWER based on making observations that are summarized and interpreted in a
narrative report
Participants/Subjects - ANSWER Humans that take part in a research study/Non-humans that take part in
a research study
Basic Research - ANSWER research done simply for the sake of new knowledge
Applied Research - ANSWER answers practical questions or solve practical problems
BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES (CH. 1, 2, & 3)
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH
SOLUTIONS 2025
Methods of Acquiring Knowledge - ANSWER ways in which a person can know things or discover answers
to questions.
Method of Tenacity - ANSWER when information is accepted as true because it has always been believed
or because superstition supports it.
Method of Intuition - ANSWER when information is accepted on the basis of a hunch or "gut feeling."
Method of Authority - ANSWER when a person relies on information or answers from an expert in the
subject area.
Method of Faith - ANSWER a variant of the method of authority in which people have unquestioning
trust in the authority figure and, therefore, accept information from the authority without doubt or
challenge
Rational Method/ Rationalism - ANSWER seek answers by the use of logical reasoning
Premise Statements - ANSWER describe facts or assumptions that are presumed to be true
Argument - ANSWER a set of premise statements that are logically combined to yield a conclusion
Empirical Method/ Empiricism - ANSWER uses observation or direct sensory experience to obtain
knowledge
Induction/ Inductive reasoning - ANSWER involves using a relatively small set of specific observations as
the basis for forming a general statement about a larger set of possible observations.
, Variables - ANSWER characteristics or conditions that change or have different values for different
individuals. For example, the weather the economy, and your state of health can change from day to day.
Also, two people can be different in terms of personality, intelligence, age, gender, self-esteem, height,
weight, and so on.
Hypothesis - ANSWER a statement that describes or explains a relationship between or among variables.
Deduction/ Deductive reasoning - ANSWER uses a general statement as the basis for reaching a
conclusion about specific examples
Scientific Method - ANSWER a method of acquiring knowledge that uses observations to develop a
hypothesis, and then uses the hypothesis to make logical predictions that can be empirically tested by
making additional, systematic observations. Typically, the new observations lead to a new hypothesis,
and the cycle continues.
Replication (repetition) - ANSWER allows verification of the findings
Pseudoscience - ANSWER a system of ideas often presented as science but actually is lacking some key
components that are essential to scientific research
Quantitive Research - ANSWER based on measuring variables for individual participants to obtain scores,
usually numerical values, that are submitted to statistical analysis for summary and interpretation
Qualitative Research - ANSWER based on making observations that are summarized and interpreted in a
narrative report
Participants/Subjects - ANSWER Humans that take part in a research study/Non-humans that take part in
a research study
Basic Research - ANSWER research done simply for the sake of new knowledge
Applied Research - ANSWER answers practical questions or solve practical problems
