Research Methods Activity
Please answer the following questions:
1. What is the difference between basic and applied research? Give at least two examples of
each.
While basic research focuses on phenomenon’s and theoretical predictions, applied research
focuses more on applied and real-world problems. In other words, basic research does not seek to
solve any problems, but simply learn more about phenomena and behavior while applied
research seeks to solve problems. Two examples of basic research would be looking at how the
universe began (evolutionary thinking) and looking at the DNA sequence of certain breeds of
animals such as lizards. Two examples of applied research would be research on drinking and
driving and research on how to cure a specific disease, such as cancer.
2. What are the qualities of pseudoscience? Give your own example of pseudoscientific
explanation.
Pseudoscience is a set of ideas which seeks to look like science, but is not. It is not science
because it is subjective, does not use peer review, and simply uses large scientific jargon to look
legitimate and gain credibility. An example of this would be hypnosis. While it seems to be
scientifically proven, there is actually no true credibility or research that hypnosis works.
3. What are the defining characteristics of scientific explanation?
The defining characteristics of scientific explanation is that it is parsimonious, rigorously
evaluated, and tentative. In other words, it is never fully considered correct, it makes the least
assumptions as possible, and it is constantly evaluated and updated.
4. What are the main distinguishing features of experimental design?