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An art museum wants to hire a research psychologist to conduct a scientific study to prove that a newly acquired sculpture is 'inherently beautiful.' Apply your knowledge of empirical versus non-empirical questions to explain in one to three sentences why the psychologist cannot scientifically answer this request.
Question: An art museum wants to hire a research psychologist to conduct a scientific study to prove that a newly acquired sculpture is 'inherently beautiful.' Apply your knowledge of empirical versus non-empirical questions to explain in one to three sentences why the psychologist cannot scientifically answer this request.
Sample answer: The psychologist cannot scientifically answer this request because evaluating whether an object is inherently beautiful is a subjective value judgment rather than an objective reality. Since beauty is a subjective value, it falls outside the realm of observable empirical testing and cannot be investigated scientifically.
Key points:
- Applies the concept of non-empirical questions to the evaluation of aesthetic beauty.
- Identifies that inherent beauty is a subjective value judgment, not an objective reality.
- Concludes that subjective values fall outside the realm of observable empirical testing.
Feedback: The response should explain that inherent beauty is a subjective value judgment rather than an objective reality. Therefore, it is a non-empirical question that falls outside the realm of observable empirical testing and cannot be investigated scientifically.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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