appreciation for science as a way of learning. You will do the same for a second and a third person, and you will report your findings to others.
Competencies Demonstrated by This Practice Exercise
1 The ability to identify differences between the use of science as a way of knowing and other alternatives for guidance in coming to conclusions
2 The ability to identify sources of resistance to using science as a way of knowing
3 The ability to identify some mechanisms that can improve one’s appreciation of science as a way of knowing
4 The ability to identify how science can help with important decisions
5 The ability to identity some of the limitations of science as a way of knowing
Activities for This Practice Exercise
In this chapter, you examined evidence about the effect of the full moon on human behavior. You are asked to select someone for a discussion of this theme. The steps are given below.
1 Make a copy of Exhibit 1.2 to share with people with whom you will conduct a discussion about the effect of the full moon.
2 Select your first person for this dialogue. This cannot be a classmate who knows about this exercise. It must be someone who does not know about the evidence with regard to the full moon and human behavior. Engage in the following discussion:Ask, “Do you believe that people act differently during the full moon than at other times?”Classify this person’s answer as (i) I believe it, (ii) I am not sure, or (iii) I do not believe it.Ask the person why he or she believes that the full moon affects behavior or does not affect it (or is not sure). Make notes about the answer. Use direct quotes from what is said to the extent this is feasible. The title of your page of notes for this first person should be the category the person is in (i.e., I believe it, I am not sure, or I do not believe it).Share the information from Exhibit 1.2 with this person. Ask for his or her response, and make notes about it, with particular reference to the extent that this person appreciates science as a way of knowing and why he or she does so or does not.Repeat these procedures (Steps a–d) for a second person, and make notes as directed. Do the same for a third person.
what You Will Report From This Practice Exercise
Prepare a brief report on your exercise experience, with a focus on how the participants demonstrated an appreciation (or lack of appreciation) for science. How many of your three respondents had each of the three possible categories of belief about this question? What were the key reasons why they held their views? Was it because others had told them this or because they had witnessed it or what? How were they influenced by the review of Exhibit 1.2?
Exhibit 1.2 A Brief Review of the Literature on the Full Moon and Unusual Behavior
In a research textbook by York (1997), a brief review of the literature on the full moon and behavior was undertaken. York employed a library database to find scientific studies on this question. He decided to review the first five articles he could find that reported scientific studies of behavior during the full moon and when the moon was not full. He used search words such as full moon and reviewed the first five articles that reported a scientific study of the relationship between the full moon and behavior. He did not engage in the selective review of only those studies with a certain result, such as a finding that there was a relationship between the full moon and human behavior. He realized that such a procedure would not be consistent with the nature of scientific inquiry. Here are the results of the first five sources he found.
1 Mathew et al. (1991) reviewed suicide attempts reported to a hospital. He found that the suicide attempts during the full moon were slightly more than on other days of the month but the amount of difference was not statistically significant (i.e., it could easily be explained by chance).
2 A study by Durm et al. (1986) found that the incidence of dangerous behaviors exhibited by patients in a psychiatric hospital was actually higher when the moon was not full than when it was but this difference was not statistically significant.
3 A pair of researchers reviewed 12 studies that examined the relationship between the full moon and things such as crisis calls to police stations, poison centers, and crisis intervention centers. Their conclusion from this review was that “there is no evidence whatsoever for the contention that calls of a more emotional or ‘out-of-control’ nature occur more often at the full moon” (Byrnes & Kelly, 1992, p. 779).
4 Another review of many studies was undertaken by Rotten and Kelly (1985). A total of 37 published studies were included in their review. They concluded that there was little evidence to support the theory that the full moon affects people’s behavior.
5 A study was conducted by Hicks-Casey and Potter (1991). They found that there were more aggressive acting-out misbehaviors in a sample of 20 developmentally delayed women during the full moon than at other times. This was the only study with results suggesting that there was a relationship between the full moon and unusual behavior.
York (2018) reviewed these findings and concluded that the evidence clearly showed that the full moon was not related to unusual behavior. A total of 51 studies, from the five articles, had been found that failed to show a relationship between the full moon and unusual behaviors. Only 1 study was found that showed this relationship. The evidence was so overwhelming that York felt that he did not need to engage in further review of the literature unless he was undertaking a study of his own regarding this question. This was enough evidence for him for the time being.
Chapter Review
Chapter Key Learnings
In this chapter, you have reviewed the nature of science and social work research, which is founded on it. You have examined alternatives to science, with special emphasis on pseudoscience. You should now be more wary of false claims. You have been encouraged to use science to help with practice decisions. Connections between critical thinking and science have also been examined in this chapter.
You have reviewed how the social scientist is unique. After this chapter, you are more likely to recognize that social work research is designed to further existing knowledge. You will recognize that it relies on a systematic process of inquiry, including the collection and analysis of data. You will be aware of the fact that science provides a fair playing field for opposite claims of reality. Armed with these learnings, you will see that science should be used as a guide for social work practice.
Among the specific learnings from this chapter are the following:
1 Science is a method of inquiry that has the purpose of discovery, not justification. You do not engage in scientific research to prove a point. Instead, you do it to find out the truth.
2 Science is systematic, objective, and comprehensive.
3 Science relies on objective measurement, leading to data from which conclusions are drawn.
4 Science is designed to reduce human error in decision making, as evidenced by a reduction in decision regret.
5 Science is founded on common principles with critical thinking, which emphasizes each of the critical aspects of scientific inquiry, including the purpose of reducing decision error.
6 Science as a basis for knowledge is different from experience, authority, or tradition, each of which
