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A clinical psychologist wants to investigate mindfulness but starts with the question: 'Is mindfulness meditation a morally superior way to live compared to other lifestyles?' Apply the criteria for generating a valid empirical question to rewrite this inquiry so that it can be addressed using the scientific method.
Question: A clinical psychologist wants to investigate mindfulness but starts with the question: 'Is mindfulness meditation a morally superior way to live compared to other lifestyles?' Apply the criteria for generating a valid empirical question to rewrite this inquiry so that it can be addressed using the scientific method.
Sample answer: The original question focuses on moral superiority (a value judgment), which is not empirically testable. To make it empirical, it must be rewritten to focus on observable variables, such as: 'Does practicing mindfulness meditation daily lead to lower self-reported stress levels in adults compared to not practicing it?'
Key points:
- Identify the moral superiority claim as an untestable value judgment.
- Apply the requirement of measuring observable variables to reformulate the question.
- Formulate a rewritten question expressing a relationship between variables that can be systematically observed.
Feedback: A correct response must identify that the term 'morally superior' represents a value judgment that cannot be systematically observed or resolved with tangible data. The response must successfully rewrite the question to express it in terms of a single observable variable or a relationship between measurable variables (such as mindfulness practice and stress levels).
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
Related
Falsifiability
Limitations of the Scientific Method
Non-Empirical Questions
Example of an Empirical Question
Conceptualizing Single Variable Research Questions
Evaluating Research Questions
Empirical Evidence
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A clinical psychologist wants to investigate mindfulness but starts with the question: 'Is mindfulness meditation a morally superior way to live compared to other lifestyles?' Apply the criteria for generating a valid empirical question to rewrite this inquiry so that it can be addressed using the scientific method.