Psychology 243: Research Design in Psychology
Chapter 1: Different methods of acquiring knowledge
____________________________________________________________________________________
Important keywords/concepts:
Epistemology ⇒ is the study of ways of knowing about the world, the theory of knowledge,
especially about its methods, validity, and scope, and the distinction between justified belief and
opinion. (i.e. the question 'what is knowledge')
Axiom⇒ a statement or proposition which is regarded as being established, accepted, or self-
evidently true.
Parsimony ⇒ requires that explanations for phenomena be based on as few assumptions as
possible ⇒ that they are as simple as possible
A priori knowledge is knowledge we can have "prior to experience"
A posteriori knowledge is knowledge we can have only 'after' we have certain experiences
Probabilistic explanations⇒ refers to explanations that concede some uncertainty
Probability statement ⇒ asserting that if some given conditions are satisfied ⇒ event will occur
more often than if some of the conditions are not met
Reductionism ⇒ refers to the method of only considering the essential and necessary
properties/variables/aspects of a problem
What are the non-scientific methods of acquiring knowledge?
Method of authority:
- rely on the knowledge and wisdom of prominent/significant people who are recognized as having
a better grasp of the environment than ordinary people
- the knowledge imparted by them is accepted as an absolute and certain amount of trust placed in
these authorities ⇒ sources of knowledge
- elderly people in the village ⇒ more time + opportunity to accumulate experiences in a society
where education is minimal
- Critique: individuals placed in such positions of authority rely on strategies to keep their positions
or hide the superficiality of their knowledge, its underlying ideologies and weakness in judgement,
such as impressive rituals, professional jargon + emphasizing the uniqueness of their position
Mystical method:
- correctness of knowledge is assumed to reside in a supernatural source or texts
- 'Knowledge producers" ⇒ are regarded as authorities due to their ability to transmit
truth/knowledge imparted to them by supernatural forces
- African societies ⇒ traditional healers + diviners occupy central space in the governance of
people because chiefs depend on them, patients too ⇒ people seldom question their wisdom
Wafiqa Osman – 24423505
August 2021 – Exam Notes
, - Credibility strongly related to the level of education + general knowledge of audience ⇒ authority
+ mystical modes of acquiring knowledge lose influence when better/alt explanations can be
found
Intuitive method:
- ordinary reasoning through instinct/intuition
- people make judgements about the world based on what feels right to them ⇒ great faith in these
feelings to help guide them in their lives
- Ex: the doctor may arrive at a diagnosis for the patient because she has an intuitive feeling
about ailment + may prescribe treatment accordingly
- others may not come to similar conclusions in the same situation, intuitive feelings may be
different
- this method depends on the individual + their understanding of the issue
- not transparent + cannot be communicated easily to others + not easily replicable
Conventional Wisdom:
- common sense understanding of world ⇒ commonly accepted as true
- "Common wisdom" statements being very general ⇒ often contradictory
- Ex: "opposites attract" or "birds of a feather flock together"
General Critique of Non-Scientific methods:
- No systematic way of determining which statements are true.
- Mainly based on faith/worldview
The rationalistic and empirical method:
- do not attribute special aptitudes to particular people.
- differ only in importance given to reasoning and observation
Rationalistic Method:
- based on human reason and logic ⇒ basic of knowledge is correct reasoning ⇒ human beings
have the ability to think logically (with reason) + discover laws through purely intellectual
processes
- enables one to know what must be true by the principle ⇒ used to develop theories about the
world
- Ex: pure mathematics where laws + principles discovered without relying on any reality but
based on axioms
- Axiom: a statement or proposition which is regarded as being established, accepted, or self-
evidently true.
Wafiqa Osman – 24423505
August 2021 – Exam Notes
Chapter 1: Different methods of acquiring knowledge
____________________________________________________________________________________
Important keywords/concepts:
Epistemology ⇒ is the study of ways of knowing about the world, the theory of knowledge,
especially about its methods, validity, and scope, and the distinction between justified belief and
opinion. (i.e. the question 'what is knowledge')
Axiom⇒ a statement or proposition which is regarded as being established, accepted, or self-
evidently true.
Parsimony ⇒ requires that explanations for phenomena be based on as few assumptions as
possible ⇒ that they are as simple as possible
A priori knowledge is knowledge we can have "prior to experience"
A posteriori knowledge is knowledge we can have only 'after' we have certain experiences
Probabilistic explanations⇒ refers to explanations that concede some uncertainty
Probability statement ⇒ asserting that if some given conditions are satisfied ⇒ event will occur
more often than if some of the conditions are not met
Reductionism ⇒ refers to the method of only considering the essential and necessary
properties/variables/aspects of a problem
What are the non-scientific methods of acquiring knowledge?
Method of authority:
- rely on the knowledge and wisdom of prominent/significant people who are recognized as having
a better grasp of the environment than ordinary people
- the knowledge imparted by them is accepted as an absolute and certain amount of trust placed in
these authorities ⇒ sources of knowledge
- elderly people in the village ⇒ more time + opportunity to accumulate experiences in a society
where education is minimal
- Critique: individuals placed in such positions of authority rely on strategies to keep their positions
or hide the superficiality of their knowledge, its underlying ideologies and weakness in judgement,
such as impressive rituals, professional jargon + emphasizing the uniqueness of their position
Mystical method:
- correctness of knowledge is assumed to reside in a supernatural source or texts
- 'Knowledge producers" ⇒ are regarded as authorities due to their ability to transmit
truth/knowledge imparted to them by supernatural forces
- African societies ⇒ traditional healers + diviners occupy central space in the governance of
people because chiefs depend on them, patients too ⇒ people seldom question their wisdom
Wafiqa Osman – 24423505
August 2021 – Exam Notes
, - Credibility strongly related to the level of education + general knowledge of audience ⇒ authority
+ mystical modes of acquiring knowledge lose influence when better/alt explanations can be
found
Intuitive method:
- ordinary reasoning through instinct/intuition
- people make judgements about the world based on what feels right to them ⇒ great faith in these
feelings to help guide them in their lives
- Ex: the doctor may arrive at a diagnosis for the patient because she has an intuitive feeling
about ailment + may prescribe treatment accordingly
- others may not come to similar conclusions in the same situation, intuitive feelings may be
different
- this method depends on the individual + their understanding of the issue
- not transparent + cannot be communicated easily to others + not easily replicable
Conventional Wisdom:
- common sense understanding of world ⇒ commonly accepted as true
- "Common wisdom" statements being very general ⇒ often contradictory
- Ex: "opposites attract" or "birds of a feather flock together"
General Critique of Non-Scientific methods:
- No systematic way of determining which statements are true.
- Mainly based on faith/worldview
The rationalistic and empirical method:
- do not attribute special aptitudes to particular people.
- differ only in importance given to reasoning and observation
Rationalistic Method:
- based on human reason and logic ⇒ basic of knowledge is correct reasoning ⇒ human beings
have the ability to think logically (with reason) + discover laws through purely intellectual
processes
- enables one to know what must be true by the principle ⇒ used to develop theories about the
world
- Ex: pure mathematics where laws + principles discovered without relying on any reality but
based on axioms
- Axiom: a statement or proposition which is regarded as being established, accepted, or self-
evidently true.
Wafiqa Osman – 24423505
August 2021 – Exam Notes
