PhD Doctor of Philosophy Philosophy of Science and Research Methodology 3

Question 1

Which of the following best describes the 'covering law model' (Hempel's DN model) of scientific explanation?

Accepted Answer

An event is explained by deducing it from general laws and initial conditions

Answer

An explanation must show how a phenomenon fits into a causal narrative

Answer

An explanation must appeal to the intentions and purposes of natural agents

Answer

Scientific explanation requires identifying the evolutionary function of a trait

Question 2

The principle of 'Occam's Razor' (parsimony) in scientific methodology advises that:

Accepted Answer

Among competing theories with equal explanatory power, the simpler one is preferable

Answer

Theories should include as many variables as possible to maximize explanatory power

Answer

Scientific theories must be derived from the fewest possible axioms

Answer

Experiments should be designed to minimize the number of variables tested

Question 3

In the context of scientific research design, 'external validity' refers to:

Accepted Answer

The extent to which findings from a study can be generalized to other populations and settings

Answer

The degree to which an experiment accurately measures what it intends to measure

Answer

The use of blind or double-blind procedures to eliminate experimenter bias

Answer

Whether the conclusions of a study logically follow from its data

Question 4

The concept of 'theory-ladenness of observation,' associated with Norwood Russell Hanson, claims that:

Accepted Answer

What scientists observe is shaped and interpreted through the lens of prior theoretical commitments

Answer

All empirical observations are ultimately theory-independent and purely objective

Answer

Scientific theories can only be tested through direct observation, never through inference

Answer

Observations become valid only after they are reviewed by the scientific community

Question 5

Which philosopher is most closely associated with the view that scientific knowledge is a social construction shaped by community norms and power relations?

Accepted Answer

Bruno Latour

Answer

Carl Hempel

Answer

W.V.O. Quine

Answer

Bas van Fraassen

Question 6

The hypothetico-deductive (H-D) method in scientific practice involves which sequence?

Accepted Answer

Propose hypothesis → deduce testable predictions → test predictions → evaluate hypothesis

Answer

Observe → classify → induce hypothesis → verify

Answer

Formulate axioms → derive theorems → apply theorems to phenomena

Answer

Collect data → run statistics → report p-values → accept or reject null hypothesis

Question 7

Ernest Nagel's account of intertheoretic reduction requires that:

Accepted Answer

The terms of the reduced theory be connected via bridge principles to the terms of the reducing theory

Answer

The reduced theory must be shown to be empirically false by the reducing theory

Answer

The reducing theory must have fewer theoretical entities than the reduced theory

Answer

Both theories explain the same phenomena using identical mathematical formalisms