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Example of a Non-Empirical Question
Inquiries centered on subjective values, ethics, or moral judgments cannot be investigated scientifically. Prominent instances include determining if it is unethical to harbor prejudiced beliefs, deciding which specific behaviors should be outlawed, or evaluating if an object is inherently beautiful. Because these issues focus on how society should be rather than objective reality, they fall outside the realm of observable empirical testing.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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Example of a Non-Empirical Question
Which of the following best characterizes a non-empirical question?
A psychology student poses the question: 'Should therapists be legally required to break confidentiality when a client expresses thoughts of harming others?' This question cannot be definitively answered through scientific observation because it asks how professional conduct ought to be regulated rather than describing how therapists currently behave.
In psychological research, it is essential to distinguish between empirical questions that can be tested through observation and non-empirical questions that involve subjective value judgments. Match each inquiry to its correct classification and reasoning.
A researcher is evaluating the following inquiry: 'Should scientific journals be required to publish all research findings, regardless of the results?' To analyze the nature of this question according to the boundaries of scientific inquiry, arrange the steps of the logical classification process in the correct order.
Consider these two research inquiries: Inquiry A: 'What percentage of college students report experiencing symptoms of burnout?' Inquiry B: 'Is it ethical for universities to require students to take more than five classes per semester?'
According to the boundaries of scientific inquiry, why is Inquiry A empirical while Inquiry B is non-empirical?
A researcher is evaluating whether the inquiry 'Is it morally justifiable to use deception in social psychology research?' can be addressed using the scientific method. The researcher concludes that this is a(n) _____ question because it asks how researchers 'ought' to behave, which involves subjective value judgments that cannot be settled through scientific observation.
Non-empirical questions are fundamentally outside the scope of scientific testing because they focus on how the world _____ to be rather than how it literally is.
A clinical psychology researcher wants to address the question: 'Should public schools be legally required to screen all children for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?' According to the boundaries of scientific inquiry, this is a non-empirical question that cannot be settled through scientific observation.
In psychological research, it is critical to analyze the nature of research questions. Match each of the following research inquiries to its correct scientific classification.
Order the steps a researcher must take to evaluate whether the proposed inquiry 'Should psychologists use deceptive instructions in social psychology experiments?' is empirically testable using the scientific method, from first to last.
Based on the provided text, explain why inquiries that involve subjective value judgments are considered non-empirical and remain definitively outside the scope of scientific testing.
Diagnose which of the student's two questions is a non-empirical question, and justify your decision using the defining characteristics of non-empirical inquiries.
A research team wants to study whether certain behaviors ought to be deemed illegal. Apply the distinction between empirical and non-empirical questions to briefly explain why the scientific method cannot be used to answer their specific inquiry.
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Which of the following inquiries is an example of a non-empirical question?
Match each type of inquiry with the specific example that illustrates why it cannot be settled through scientific observation.
A social psychologist asks the research question: 'Is it inherently cruel to use high-pressure social tactics in a study on obedience?' This inquiry is an example of an empirical question.
A researcher is evaluating the inquiry: 'Is it inherently unethical to harbor prejudiced beliefs?' Arrange the following steps in the logical order required to analyze why this is classified as a non-empirical question.
A team of psychologists and art historians is constructing an interdisciplinary exhibition titled 'The Human Experience of Beauty.' As part of the interactive display, they must create one research inquiry that illustrates the limits of empirical science by focusing on subjective values rather than objective reality. Which of the following inquiries did the team construct to fulfill this goal?
Deciding which specific behaviors should be outlawed is classified as an empirical question because laws are objective and observable.
A psychology student is learning to distinguish between different types of non-empirical questions. Match each specific non-empirical question with the core category of subjective judgment it represents.
When evaluating the inquiry 'Is it fundamentally unethical to harbor prejudiced beliefs?', a researcher classifies it as non-empirical. To justify this evaluation, the researcher points out that the question centers on _____ judgments, which cannot be investigated through objective, scientific observation.
A professor presents two questions side by side: (1) 'Do individuals who hold implicit racial biases demonstrate different hiring decisions than those who do not?' and (2) 'Is it wrong for employers to act on implicit racial biases?' When analyzing why question (2) is non-empirical while question (1) is not, the professor concludes that question (2) demands a _____ judgment about how employers ought to behave, rather than an observable fact about how they actually do behave.
A research methods student is helping a classmate evaluate the proposed research question: 'Should psychology researchers be legally prohibited from using deception in their studies?' The student must not only classify the question as empirical or non-empirical but also justify that classification to the classmate. Arrange the following steps in the correct order for completing this evaluation.
Explain the core characteristics that define a non-empirical question as outlined in the course material. In your response, list the three prominent examples of non-empirical inquiries provided in the text and explain why they cannot be investigated scientifically.
Based on the provided case context, diagnose which of Sarah's questions is non-empirical. Justify your decision by explaining why this specific question cannot be investigated using scientific methods, and contrast it with why the other question is empirical.
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.