May/June 2020 RSC2601

QUESTION 1 Which one of the following statements is INCORRECT regarding norms of scientific research? (1) Research results must be made available so that the scientific community can review and criticise them. (2) The purpose of organised scepticism is to ensure that scientific knowledge can be subjected to close examination. (3) In evaluating research reports reviewers should rely both on the stature of the researcher and the scientific merit of the research. (4) Scientists are slow to reject a theory even when new evidence invalidates it, but eventually they are willing to adopt a better theory. (5) The norms of scientific inquiry are only likely to be upheld if the institutional context in which research takes place is conducive to it. QUESTION 2 This is an example of … (1) ego involvement. (2) overgeneralisation. (3) inaccurate observation. (4) premature closure. RSC2601 MAY/JUNE 2020 QUESTION 3 Page 3 of 19 There is NOT one true path to knowledge. It is necessary to accept a variety of ways in which knowledge about the world can be gained. Research on juvenile delinquency would be regarded as interpretive if it … (1) establishes a causal relationship between juvenile delinquency and poverty. (2) treats juvenile delinquency as a fact. (3) provides reasons for juvenile delinquency. (4) focuses on causation rather than description. (5) treats juvenile delinquency as a construction of meaning. QUESTION 4 To which one of the following approaches to research does the description below refer? (1) positivism (2) interpretivism (3) critical theory (4) feminism (5) postmodernism QUESTION 5 According to the study guide, sources of knowledge include all of the following, EXCEPT … (1) tradition. (2) inspiration. (3) common sense. (4) authority. QUESTION 6 Which of the following statements regarding epistemology is TRUE? (1) Epistemological questions concern the principles or rules to be followed in determining the reality of an entity. (2) Epistemology is the field of philosophy that concerns the nature of reality. (3) The question whether False Memory Syndrome exists or not is an epistemological question. (4) Epistemology helps us to decide what kinds of statements can be considered to be social scientific knowledge