COM 300 Exam 1-Tamborini UPDATED ACTUAL Questions and
CORRECT Answers
Epistemology The study of knowledge
Claims we make about knowledge
The character of knowledge
Philosophy The study of scientific knowledge
The character of scientific knowledge
Science A way of generating and testing the truth of statements
Authoritarian Method: Social Knowledge is taught and tested socially defined authority of knowledge
(The ways of knowing) Ex: You learn things from your teacher speaking them to you
Mystical Method: Spiritual Relying on someone's state of grace (religion) to understand and know
(The ways of knowing) information
Ex: I learned about the torah based off of judaism
Logico-rational method: Procedural Based on procedure to make decisions
(The ways of knowing)
Scientific method: Observational Individual biases make complete "objectivity" impossible
(The ways of knowing)
People see things from different perspectives
Agreement among scientists is as close as we can come to being "objective"
Without agreement, we have no confidence in scientific claims (and knowledge
has no value)
Scientific method is the set of rules used to reach agreement
These "rules" of science eliminate individual authority
Ontology Deals with the nature of reality, reality is subjective
(Assumptions behind paradigms within communication) Assumption about the nature of being
Epistemology Deals with knowledge and the best way to know something
(Assumptions behind paradigms within communication)
Metatheory (laws and rules) Two different sets of assumptions- (Laws & Rules) the nature of
(Assumptions behind paradigms within communication) Theory/Experimentation. "theory about theory, *best way to explain things
Methodology Best procedure to use to study knowledge- a way to inquire
(Assumptions behind paradigms within communication)
Monism Discipline should only have one paradigm
, Pluralism Discipline can have multiple paradigms
Revolutionary model change happens quickly, seeing incongruencies in science guides us to new
paradigms & assumptions-Rapid change and the paradigm is replaced quickly
Evolutionary model believes the 2 different sets of assumptions in a discipline work together
Simultaneously to slowly over time find the more correct/dominate assumptions-
Slow change and gradual change, guided by more than one paradigm
Mechanism Determinism: people make no real choices
(Contemporary Ontology)
Actionalism Humans chose their actions to maximize thoughts
(Contemporary Ontology)
Actional Realism Situational and social forces will shape our force making behavior
(Contemporary Ontology)
Schools of thought within Epistemology Nature of inquiry, dependent on assumptions: Rationalism, Rational Empiricism,
Mechanistic empiricism, Logical positivism, Constructivism, Constructive realism
Rationalism (Epistemology) Assumption that the world has rational structure
Rational Empiricism (Epistemology) Assumes the world as rational structure
But has to test the thought with the observation
Mechanistic empiricism (Epistemology) Begin with observation, then develops theories based off observation
Logical positivism (Epistemology) A particular form of empiricism meant to be knocked down
Assume real world exists
Constructivism (Epistemology) Rejects the concepts of reductionism (idea that phenomena can be broken down
in component parts) and operationalism (concepts are defined by the activities
we use to measure them
ex: intelligence is defined by an IQ test and if we cannot measure them then it
doesn't exist)
Assumes reality is subjectively by our perceptions in our interpretation
Reductionism sum of it's parts equals to it's whole
Operationalism things defined by procedures we use to measure them (if you can't measure it,
you can't know it)
Constructive Realism A combination of Logical positivism and constructivism
The laws approach (Metatheory) Deals with why does something happen
Natural Necessity Laws powerful forces cause things to happen
CORRECT Answers
Epistemology The study of knowledge
Claims we make about knowledge
The character of knowledge
Philosophy The study of scientific knowledge
The character of scientific knowledge
Science A way of generating and testing the truth of statements
Authoritarian Method: Social Knowledge is taught and tested socially defined authority of knowledge
(The ways of knowing) Ex: You learn things from your teacher speaking them to you
Mystical Method: Spiritual Relying on someone's state of grace (religion) to understand and know
(The ways of knowing) information
Ex: I learned about the torah based off of judaism
Logico-rational method: Procedural Based on procedure to make decisions
(The ways of knowing)
Scientific method: Observational Individual biases make complete "objectivity" impossible
(The ways of knowing)
People see things from different perspectives
Agreement among scientists is as close as we can come to being "objective"
Without agreement, we have no confidence in scientific claims (and knowledge
has no value)
Scientific method is the set of rules used to reach agreement
These "rules" of science eliminate individual authority
Ontology Deals with the nature of reality, reality is subjective
(Assumptions behind paradigms within communication) Assumption about the nature of being
Epistemology Deals with knowledge and the best way to know something
(Assumptions behind paradigms within communication)
Metatheory (laws and rules) Two different sets of assumptions- (Laws & Rules) the nature of
(Assumptions behind paradigms within communication) Theory/Experimentation. "theory about theory, *best way to explain things
Methodology Best procedure to use to study knowledge- a way to inquire
(Assumptions behind paradigms within communication)
Monism Discipline should only have one paradigm
, Pluralism Discipline can have multiple paradigms
Revolutionary model change happens quickly, seeing incongruencies in science guides us to new
paradigms & assumptions-Rapid change and the paradigm is replaced quickly
Evolutionary model believes the 2 different sets of assumptions in a discipline work together
Simultaneously to slowly over time find the more correct/dominate assumptions-
Slow change and gradual change, guided by more than one paradigm
Mechanism Determinism: people make no real choices
(Contemporary Ontology)
Actionalism Humans chose their actions to maximize thoughts
(Contemporary Ontology)
Actional Realism Situational and social forces will shape our force making behavior
(Contemporary Ontology)
Schools of thought within Epistemology Nature of inquiry, dependent on assumptions: Rationalism, Rational Empiricism,
Mechanistic empiricism, Logical positivism, Constructivism, Constructive realism
Rationalism (Epistemology) Assumption that the world has rational structure
Rational Empiricism (Epistemology) Assumes the world as rational structure
But has to test the thought with the observation
Mechanistic empiricism (Epistemology) Begin with observation, then develops theories based off observation
Logical positivism (Epistemology) A particular form of empiricism meant to be knocked down
Assume real world exists
Constructivism (Epistemology) Rejects the concepts of reductionism (idea that phenomena can be broken down
in component parts) and operationalism (concepts are defined by the activities
we use to measure them
ex: intelligence is defined by an IQ test and if we cannot measure them then it
doesn't exist)
Assumes reality is subjectively by our perceptions in our interpretation
Reductionism sum of it's parts equals to it's whole
Operationalism things defined by procedures we use to measure them (if you can't measure it,
you can't know it)
Constructive Realism A combination of Logical positivism and constructivism
The laws approach (Metatheory) Deals with why does something happen
Natural Necessity Laws powerful forces cause things to happen
