3. Scientific Method
• A way to investigative how or why something works, or how
something happened, through the development of hypotheses
and subsequent attempts at falsification through testing and
other accepted means.
4. Scientific Method
• The scientific method is a way of ensuring the results
one obtains when researching something are both valid
and reliable.
10. Reliability and Validity
• A test is reliable if it consistently yields the same result within
whatever margin of error, we are willing to accept.
• Validity In reference to testing, when the results are reliable and
accurate.
12. Peer Review
The process of subjecting an author’s work, research, or ideas to
the scrutiny of others who are experts in the same field.
Research submitted for publication should be critiqued and that
research not meeting acceptable standards should be kept from
publication.
14. Logical Fallacies
• Circular reasoning. Using data to prove something that was used to develop
the hypothesis; a proof that essentially restates the question. An example
would be: “There is no such thing as a false confession, because innocent
people do not confess to crimes they did not commit.”
• Overgeneralization. Making generalizations to a broad population based on
insufficient data.
15. Lack of
Validity/Overgeneralization
• Circular reasoning. Using data to prove something that was used to develop
the hypothesis; a proof that essentially restates the question. An example
would be: “There is no such thing as a false confession, because innocent
people do not confess to crimes they did not commit.”
• Overgeneralization. Making generalizations to a broad population based on
insufficient data.
16. Validity/Overgeneralization case
example: organized crime scene
vs disorganized crime scene
• An organized crime scene might be one where the offender planned the
assault and brought a weapon which he/she took with him/her when leaving
the scene.
• The disorganized crime scene would be one where the offender acted
impulsively and used something he/she found at the scene as a weapon to
commit an assault of some kind. .
17. Validity/Overgeneralization case
example: organized crime scene
vs disorganized crime scene
“Our study was an exploratory one.”(Burges and Ressler, 1985 p. 32). “It
is imperative that this be viewed as demonstrating only that profiling is an
objective possibility.,” “The study does not establish that profiling can, in
fact, be done, or that if it were done, it would be successful.” and “Instead,
we show that further study of profiling is, indeed, reasonable and
appropriate.
18. Summary
Maintaining expected standards in research and academic
publishing is important to further and protect scientific endeavors.
Adherence to ethical guidelines is important in conducting research
and scholarly publishing as the end-user relies on the integrity of
such products in conducting further research.
Editor's Notes
Maintaining expected research and academic publishing standards is essential to further and protect scientific endeavors.
Adherence to ethical guidelines is essential in research and scholarly publishing as the end user relies on the integrity of such products in conducting further research, using the research in forming professional opinions, and possibly relying on the research when testifying under oath and in a court of law.
Scientific method
A way to investigative how or why something works, or how something happened, through the development of hypotheses and subsequent attempts at falsification through testing and other accepted means.
The scientific method is a way of ensuring the results one obtains when researching something are both valid and reliable.
Quite simply, it is a method of devising a theory regarding something, collecting data relevant to the theory, and a way to systematically test the theory to see if it is “correct.
The method of testing is called falsification (Popper, 2002). It may seem odd, but one is not trying to prove one’s theory is true, but rather trying to prove it is false.
Falsification is “manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record.”
Falsification Definition
One cannot prove whether a theory or hypothesis is true. One can only prove that it is false, a process called falsification. Falsification is a tool that distinguishes scientific social psychology from folk social psychology, which does not use the process of falsification.
Science is based on fact. Isn't it? Karl Popper believed that human knowledge progresses through 'falsification’.
A theory or idea shouldn't be described as scientific unless it could, in principle, be proven false.
Science is based on fact. Isn't it? Karl Popper believed that human knowledge progresses through 'falsification’.
A theory or idea shouldn't be described as scientific unless it could, in principle, be proven false.
Two important research terms are validity and reliability. A test is reliable if it consistently yields the same result within whatever margin of error we are willing to accept.
Two important research terms are validity and reliability.
A test is reliable if it consistently yields the same result within whatever margin of error we are willing to accept.
Validity In reference to testing, when the results are reliable and accurate.
Example we could label a scale reliable if we have a rock and every time we weigh the rock the scale shows the same weight, say 4.5 pounds. To find out if the scale (or rather the weights it gives) is valid, though, we would check the weight of the rock on a scale that we know to be accurate. If such testing gave the same weight, we would decide the weights the first scale gives are valid.
Karen Magruder, LCSW-S is an Assistant Professor of Practice at the University of Texas at Arlington, a therapist in private practice, a clinical supervisor an d DSW student.
Peer review is the process of subjecting an author’s work, research, or ideas to the scrutiny of others who are experts in the same field.
Peer review is the process of subjecting an author’s work, research, or ideas to the scrutiny of others who are experts in the same field.
It is incumbent on researchers and authors to recognize and avoid logical fallacies. Such fallacies are numerous and beyond the scope of this chapter to mention, let alone describe them all.
Logical fallacies are Errors in reasoning that essentially deceived those whom they are intended to convince. They are brought about by the acceptance of faulty premises, bias, ignorance, and intellectual laziness.
Circular reasoning. Using data to prove something that was used to develop the hypothesis; a proof that essentially restates the question. An example would be: “There is no such thing as a false confession, because innocent people do not confess to crimes they did not commit.”
Overgeneralization. Making generalizations to a broad population based on insufficient data.
It is incumbent on researchers and authors to recognize and avoid logical fallacies. Such fallacies are numerous and beyond the scope of this chapter to mention, let alone describe them all.
Logical fallacies are Errors in reasoning that essentially deceived those whom they are intended to convince. They are brought about by the acceptance of faulty premises, bias, ignorance, and intellectual laziness.
Circular reasoning. Using data to prove something that was used to develop the hypothesis; a proof that essentially restates the question. An example would be: “There is no such thing as a false confession, because innocent people do not confess to crimes they did not commit.”
Overgeneralization. Making generalizations to a broad population based on insufficient data.
In the early years of criminal profiling FBI special agents honing the craft began observing what they felt were collections of things at crime scenes. They formulated the idea that there were essentially two types of crime scene (hence offenders) – an organized crime scene and a disorganized crime scene.
An organized crime scene might be one where the offender planned the assault and brought a weapon which he/she took with him/her when leaving the scene. The disorganized crime scene would be one where the offender acted impulsively and used something he/she found at the scene as a weapon to commit an assault of some kind.
in the early to mid-1980s the agents of the FBI criminal profiling unit began visiting prisons when possible to try and interview serial killers using a questionnaire that had been developed.
Test the organized-disorganized paradigm empirically.
est the organized-disorganized paradigm empirically.
In the early years of criminal profiling FBI special agents honing the craft began observing what they felt were collections of things at crime scenes. They formulated the idea that there were essentially two types of crime scene (hence offenders) – an organized crime scene and a disorganized crime scene.
An organized crime scene might be one where the offender planned the assault and brought a weapon which he/she took with him/her when leaving the scene. The disorganized crime scene would be one where the offender acted impulsively and used something he/she found at the scene as a weapon to commit an assault of some kind.
in the early to mid-1980s the agents of the FBI criminal profiling unit began visiting prisons when possible to try and interview serial killers using a questionnaire that had been developed.
Test the organized-disorganized paradigm empirically.
“Our study was an exploratory one.”(Burges and Ressler, 1985 p. 32). “It is imperative that this be viewed as demonstrating only that profiling is an objective possibility.,” “The study does not establish that profiling can, in fact, be done, or that if it were done, it would be successful.” and “Instead, we show that further study of profiling is, indeed, reasonable and appropriate.
no investigator in the reading audience would have understood the limited and flawed basis for the organized–disorganized paradigm presented.
Maintaining expected standards in research and academic publishing is important to further and protect scientific endeavors.
Adherence to ethical guidelines is important in conducting research and scholarly publishing as the end-user relies on the integrity of such products in conducting further research, using the research in forming professional opinions, and possibly relying on the research when testifying under oath and in a court of law.
no investigator in the reading audience would have understood the limited and flawed basis for the organized–disorganized paradigm presented.
