Explanation in science

1
Explanation in science

• Explanation and pseudoexplanation
• John Stuart Mills canons
• Method of agreement
• Method of difference
• Joint methods of agreement and difference
• Method of concomitant variation

2
Descriptive Research

• Secondary records or archival research
• Naturalistic observation
• Case study
• Correlational study
• Ex post facto study
• Developmental studies
• Survey research
• Participant observation
• Meta analysis

3
Archival research

• What qualifies as a secondary record?
• Official records Census, vital statistics
• Deliberate personal records Diaries, journals,
  photo albums
• Incidental records Letters, notes, to do lists
• Artifacts Pottery, tools, beer cans, graffiti
• Stories and histories

4
Archival research

• Advantages
• Convenience
• Real world validity
• No reactivity effect
• Disadvantages
• Selective deposit
• Selective survival
• Selective access

5
Descriptive Research

• Secondary records or archival research
• Naturalistic observation
• Case study
• Correlational study
• Ex post facto study
• Developmental studies
• Survey research
• Participant observation
• Meta analysis

6
Naturalistic observation

• Data collected on naturally-occurring behavior
• The observer is unobtrusive
• The setting is natural, thus generalizable
• Problem finding causes
• Generates hypotheses
• Sometimes the only ethical option for research

7
Prof. Jones-Smith, my research shows that men
have a faster heart-rate than women.

8
Descriptive Research

• Secondary records or archival research
• Naturalistic observation
• Case study
• Correlational study
• Ex post facto study
• Developmental studies
• Survey research
• Participant observation
• Meta analysis

9
The case study

• Depth rather than breadth
• Idiographic rather than nomothetic
• Similar to single-subject experimentation
• Especially useful when
• phenomenon is rare, eg. DID
• phenomenon is generalizable
• case is a dissonant example
• A prime source of hypotheses

10
Descriptive Research

• Secondary records or archival research
• Naturalistic observation
• Case study
• Correlational study
• Ex post facto study
• Developmental studies
• Survey research
• Participant observation
• Meta analysis

11
Correlational research

• Correlational studies
• The third variable problem
• Measurement is not manipulation
• The cross-lagged panel design
• Ex post facto studies
• The independent variable has already been
  manipulated, but not by the researcher
• Developmental studies
• Longitudinal, cross-sectional, cohort-sequential

12
Descriptive Research

• Secondary records or archival research
• Naturalistic observation
• Case study
• Correlational study
• Ex post facto study
• Developmental studies
• Survey research
• Participant observation
• Meta analysis