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Guide to Epistemology and Empirical Research Analysis Study Guide

This guide provides a comprehensive overview of epistemological beliefs and their impact on learning. It details the structure and critical analysis of empirical research articles, including the introduction, method, results, and discussion sections. Learn to identify different types of sources and evaluate the validity and reliability of research findings. Essential for students and researchers seeking to understand and engage with scientific literature.

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Foundations of Psychological Research and Ethics

Critical Thinking and Psychological Research Methods

This content explores the foundations of scientific inquiry, critical thinking definitions, ways of knowing, and the goals of research in psychology.

  • Critical thinking
  • Scientific inquiry
  • Logic of psychology
  • Ways of knowing
  • Authority
  • Reason
  • Experience
  • Empiricism
  • Cognitive biases
  • Confirmation bias
  • Belief perseverance
  • Availability heuristic
  • Scientific method
  • Determinism
  • Inductive logic
  • Deductive logic
  • Operational definitions
  • Replication
  • Falsifiability
  • Empirical questions

Epistemological Beliefs and Empirical Article Analysis

This content explores epistemological beliefs and provides guidance on how to read and critically analyze an empirical research article.

  • Epistemological Beliefs
  • Simple Knowledge vs. Complex Knowledge
  • Certain Knowledge vs. Tentative Knowledge
  • Innate Ability vs. Growth Mindset
  • Omniscient Authority vs. Other Sources of Knowledge
  • Primary Research Articles
  • Review papers
  • Case studies
  • Meta-analyses
  • Components of an Empirical Paper
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Literature Review
  • Hypotheses and Predictions
  • Independent and Dependent variables
  • Method
  • Participants
  • Materials
  • Equipment
  • Procedure

Ethics in Psychological Research

This topic covers basic ethical ideologies, the role of the Research Ethics Board, and important ethical elements of research including informed consent, deception, and scientific misconduct.

  • Deontology
  • Ethical Skepticism
  • Utilitarianism
  • Research Ethics Board (REB)
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis
  • Minimal Risk Research
  • Informed Consent
  • Assent
  • Deception
  • Coercion to Participate
  • Confidentiality
  • Debriefing
  • Scientific Misconduct
  • Fabricating or Falsifying Data
  • Authorship
  • Publication Bias

APA Referencing and Formatting Essentials

APA Referencing and Formatting Essentials

This workshop covers APA referencing basics, including in-text citations, references lists, and APA tables.

  • APA referencing
  • In-text citations
  • Narrative citations
  • Parenthetical citations
  • References list
  • Hanging indent format
  • APA tables

Developing Ideas and Types of Research

Developing Ideas and Research Methods

This topic covers types of research, operational definitions, and sources of research ideas including theory, deduction, and induction.

  • Basic Research
  • Applied Research
  • Laboratory Research
  • Field Research
  • Internal Validity
  • External Validity
  • Mundane Realism
  • Experimental Realism
  • Operational Definitions
  • Positivist View
  • Constructs
  • Everyday Observations
  • Serendipity
  • Theory
  • Deduction
  • Induction

Theory Characteristics and Research Replication

This content discusses theory characteristics such as parsimony and falsifiability alongside research ideas including replication and extension.

  • Originality
  • Breadth
  • Falsifiability
  • Replication
  • Extension
  • Registered replication study
  • Verbal overshadowing effect

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