Test 1

Identification:  In 1 or 2 sentences define each of the following.  (5 pts each)

 1)  empiricism:
 
 

 2)  tenacity:
 
 

 3)  causality:
 
 

4)  falsification:
 
 

5)  reliability:
 
 

6):  Social Science Citation Index
 
 

7):  measure of association
 
 

8)  variance:
 
 

9)  within-groups design:
 
 

10)  confounds:
Short answer:  In 3-4 sentences, answer each of the following.  (10 pts each)

1.   What is meant by "universal assent" and why is this so important to science?  How is this related to the concept of an "operational definition?"
 

2.  How does one evaluate the soundness of a research hypothesis prior to conducting the research?  That is, how do we decide which research ideas are worth pursuing?  Choose two major considerations and explain how we would employ them.
 

 3. Research has shown that eating a diet high is cholesterol is associated with heart disease.  However, my father has eaten bacon and eggs for breakfast for 50 years, and his heart is fine!  What does my observation concerning my father say about the causal connection between cholesterol and heart disease?  How does this relate to the research I quoted.
 

4. Distinguish between the concepts of validity and reliability.  Give an example of how an experiment, or a measurement device, could be reliable but not valid.
 

 5.  List the eight major threats to internal validity.  Choose two of these, and describe how they may provide an alternative explanation for a research finding.