The decision to abort a child brings the prospective mother/parents always into a morally and ethically conflict. Anneli Kero conducted a case study examining this assumption in 2002.
My task for the present paper was to create an own research design with a different focus in the range of the same topic. I chose the questionning if the decision-making process of aborting a child would be different if the soon-to-be child would be handicapped. The aim of the research design was to find out if the inhibition treshold of the abortion of a handicapped child would be lower than with a physically healthy child.
My second task within this paper was to relate the research design to Poppers falsification principle and Chalmers´ thoughts about science in general.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: The Research Design
1.1 A case study
1.2 Introducing the problem
1.3 How to find an answer- the research design
Chapter 2: Answering The Questions
2.1 In which ways has your reserach design been influenced by CHALMERS and/or POPPER?
2.2 Discuss criticaly what characterizes your own discipline/subject concerning theories and methods.
2.3 When and during which conditions is it possible to start a scientific revolution?
“Objective reality”- what for?
Research Objectives and Themes
The work explores the methodological and ethical complexities surrounding abortion, specifically focusing on how potential handicaps in a fetus influence decision-making processes. It aims to develop a robust research design to investigate these motivations while critically reflecting on the scientific theories of Chalmers and Popper in the context of geographic and social science research.
- Analysis of motivations and psychological impacts of legal abortion.
- Development of research designs to evaluate sensitive societal issues.
- Critical examination of falsification and scientific paradigm shifts.
- Methodological challenges in social science and geographic modeling.
- Ethical considerations and the role of objectivity in scientific inquiry.
Excerpt from the Book
1.1 A CASE STUDY
In 1995 some social workers carried out interviews with 250 Swedish speaking women in the university clinic in Umeå. All women applied for a pregnancy termination in the clinic at that time. Of the 250 women 211 took part in the voluntary study. 58 of these women gave also their consent to take part in the interview study. The reason why some of the questioned women didn't want to take part in the study was in the opinion of KERO that the situation they were in was too stressful (KERO 2002a: 16).
Aims of the study: 1. examine the psychological background, current living conditions, partner relationship and decision-making process in women and men facing abortion (Papers I, II) 2. compare women and men with and without previous experiences of induced abortion (Papers I, II, V) 3. investigate motives for abortion, feelings and attitudes towards pregnancy and abortion on women and men 4. elucidate ambivalence in relation to legal abortion in women and men (Paper III) 5. investigate the long-term psychological consequences of legal abortion in women (Paper IV) 6. investigate contraceptive use, reproductive risktaking, opinions and attitudes to sexuality and contraception in women and men (Paper V) (KERO 2002a: 14)
Summary of Chapters
Chapter 1: The Research Design: This chapter introduces a case study on abortion motivations and outlines proposed research methodologies, including surveys and clinical interviews, to examine the decision-making processes regarding handicapped children.
Chapter 2: Answering The Questions: This section critically evaluates the research design through the lens of Chalmers and Popper, discussing the nature of scientific inquiry, paradigm shifts, and the methodological limitations inherent in geographic and social research.
“Objective reality”- what for?: The final section reflects on the pursuit of objective reality in science, arguing that interpretations are inherently subjective and emphasizing the necessity of an ethical framework for researchers.
Keywords
Abortion, Research Design, Methodology, Chalmers, Popper, Scientific Revolution, Paradigm Shift, Objective Reality, Geography, Social Science, Ethics, Handicapped Children, Qualitative Research, Quantitative Data, Subjectivity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper examines the motives and psychological factors behind abortion, specifically exploring how the prospect of a handicapped child influences the inhibition threshold of parents compared to healthy pregnancies.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The key themes include the methodology of conducting social studies, the influence of scientific philosophy on research design, and the ethical responsibility of scientists when dealing with sensitive, non-objective topics.
What is the central research question?
The primary research question investigates whether the inhibition threshold for abortion decreases when a child is expected to be handicapped, and how researchers can effectively analyze such sensitive phenomena.
Which scientific methods are utilized?
The author discusses a combination of qualitative interviews, quantitative questionnaires, and a comparative analysis of data, while also reflecting on philosophical approaches like Popper's falsification principle.
What is discussed in the main body of the work?
The main body details existing abortion studies, proposes a new research design, evaluates these plans against scientific theories from Chalmers and Kuhn, and reflects on the limitations of objectivity in social research.
Which keywords characterize this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as Abortion, Research Design, Methodology, Falsification, Paradigm Shift, Scientific Ethics, and Social Science.
How does the author apply Chalmers and Popper to the research design?
The author uses Chalmers' questioning of "what science is" to identify errors in research and Popper's falsification principle to recognize that research conclusions must remain open to correction and improvement.
What role does the "central places theory" play in the discussion?
The author uses Christaller’s theory as a case study to illustrate the general challenge in geography: creating simplified models that are functional for public use despite the inherent complexity of reality.
How does the author justify the use of subjective data?
The author argues that absolute objective reality is unreachable in human sciences and that subjective interpretations, when managed within an "ethical frame," are necessary to understand complex individual experiences.
- Quote paper
- Sandra Schindlauer (Author), 2008, Breaking the Limit !?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/174343
