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.