Scientific methods

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• Ontology, epistemology, and methodology are connected. The assumptions we make regarding how we perceive reality provide guidance on how we acquire knowledge about reality, and thus, what kind of methods we apply. In the process of gaining knowledge through scientific methods, we often shift perspectives depending on the research question. From a constructivist (anti-positivist) perspective, is it possible for an excellent researcher to be objective? No, Yes, It depends on the research question, it depends on the research methodology
• The ontological perspectives positivism and constructivism (also interpretivism, anti-positivism, relativism, etc.), can be envisioned along a spectrum: Positivism ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Constructivism. The perspectives are associated with different views on how the world works. Which of the following is more associated with a positivist perspective? Measuring phenomena, A subjective perspective, ethnographies, qualitative methods
• The ontological perspectives positivism and constructivism (also interpretivism, anti-positivism, relativism, etc.), can be envisioned along a spectrum: Positivism ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Constructivism. The perspectives are associated with different views on how the world works. Which of the following is more associated with a positivist perspective? Inductive, Deductive, Selective, Productive
• When using an inductive approach, is theory the outcome of data collection? Yes, Only when you are also being abductive, No, Only when you are also being productive
• What sort of research methods are most commonly associated with a deductive research approach? Quantitative methods, Qualitative methods, Ethnographies, Case studies
• What is the research design? It specifies the plan for how we will conduct the research, It is the design of the interview guide or questionnaire for collecting data, It is the plan for how the data will be analyzed and interpreted, It specifies the ontology epistemology and methodology of the research
• Which answer best describes a case-study design? It emphasizes a full contextual analysis of a few events or conditions and their interrelations, It provides repeated measures over an extended period of time, It attempts to reveal why or how one variable produces changes in another variable, It attempts to capture a population's characteristics by making inferences from a sample's characteristivs and testing resulting hypotheses
• Which answer would best fit the inductive approach? The researcher is using an approach where he/she structures the findings according to existing theory, The researcher is testing a theory by collecting data that is found to be most suitable given the existing theory, The researcher draws on an existing theory, but not much empirical research has been done in the area, The researcher; through a literature review; finds that there is a lack of theory explaining a certain phenomenon
• Of these statistical methods, which one is associated with a causal research design? Regression, T-test, Correlation, Exploratory factor analysis
• You do an experiment at a local ICA grocery store where you measure the sales of Mexican food one week with no music playing. Then, you play Mexican music for a week and measure Mexican food sales. You want to know whether there is a statistically significant difference between the two periods. What statistical analysis or test would you use in your experimental research design? Repeated samples t-test, Correlation analysis, reliability analysis, Regression analysis
• You think people are fixated on weight differences of models in clothes advertising. You do an experiment where you photoshop a training clothes advertisement to manipulate perceived body weight. You get 100 people and randomly show them one of the two photoshopped advertisements. Then, they answer a short questionnaire about their perception of the advertisement and you ask their intention to buy the product (the dependent variable). What statistical analysis would you use in this experimental research design to test the effect on the dependent variable? Regression analysis, Repeated samples t-test, Reliability analysis, Correlation analysis
• One way to construct relevant research questions is to first consider research problems. Are we lacking knowledge about an important issue? Is there a practical problem that needs solving? Another way is to consider the cost of not solving a problem. What are the consequences of not solving the climate crisis? To motivate and focus the research, To lead to measurable constructs, To lead to relavant hypotheses, To motivate the development of constructs
• Charting the territory means to learn about the topic area, which includes looking for previous conceptual papers and research studies. In social sciences, research questions: May motivate theory development, Should focus on the processes of social interaction, Must be embedded in developed theory, Must lead to quantifiable results

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