Research questions: how to approach a study, with examples

Examples of unknowns in psychology and related sciences that need to be answered.

Research questions are the first step to be taken before starting the study of before starting the study of something that intrigues us. In science, knowing how to specify the objective of a research is necessary to know in which direction to design the research and what kind of methodologies can be used.

In psychology and other similar disciplines, such as biology or sociology, there are still many unanswered research questions. Below we will see some of them and how it is possible to propose new studies thanks to which we can increase our level of knowledge on the subject in question.

Research questions: the starting point of any study

The function of research questions is to specify the question to be answered (or partially answered, in most cases). (or partially unveil, in most cases). It is as important to be able to identify the problem well as to specify what is not part of it, to avoid confusing similar concepts.

For example, if we want to know what influence the fact of having lived in the same household with a Biological father and mother during childhood has on the development of a person's intelligence, we cannot ask the following research question:

How does living with one's family during the first years of life impact on intelligence in adulthood?

In this case, the concept of "family" is too ambiguous is too ambiguousand working with it can completely distort the results of the research. Moreover, "the first years of life" is not an enlightening concept; it is much more convenient to make it more concrete by proposing, for example, a period of approximately 11 years from birth to puberty.

The operationalization of the initial doubt

Since scientific research always has a necessarily reductionist point (we are interested in knowing a very specific part of reality, and not others), the research questions give way to other sub-questions that further specify what we want to answer. Thus, from a general question to other more specific ones, which, together, help to answer that, as a whole, help to answer the first one.

In the case at hand, these research questions of lower hierarchy than the initial one could be:

• How does living with biological fathers and mothers during the first 11 years of life affect crystallized intelligence?

• How does living with biological fathers and mothers during the first 11 years of life affect fluid intelligence?

• How does living with biological fathers and mothers during the first 11 years of life affect IQ?

Examples of research questions to be developed

Given the logic and purpose of research questions, let's look at some examples of scientific mysteries that may give us surprises in the future.

Of course, they are questions that are posed in a general and posed in a general and abstract mannerThe questions are general and abstract, so that each person who wants to investigate them must make them more concrete so that they are adapted to what arouses the most interest.

1. Are the mechanisms of memory based on synapses or on the storage of molecules in neurons?

Although the former theory is the most widely accepted, some researchers believe that our memories are not patterns of neuronal firing together. are not patterns of joint activation of neuronsbut are individual elements that can be found in each nerve cell separately.

2. Is there only one intelligence, or several?

This is a doubt that lasts for decades, or even centuries, if we take into account the work of philosophers. There are several proposals according to which there is no single biological element that determines who is more intelligent than another, but a set of these that function relatively independently. An example is Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences proposal or Sternberg's theory.

3. What causes gender dysphoria?

Many transsexual people suffer greatly when they perceive that their gender identity does not coincide with the observable characteristics of their body. It is not known whether the root of this problem is biological or cultural, or to what extent both components are linked.or to what extent the two components combine.

4. Does decision-making occur unconsciously?

Although we tend to link the decision-making process to rationality and meticulous reflection of the expected consequences, there is evidence that we make many important decisions unconsciously, and then justify that decision through rationality.

5. Is male aggressiveness cultural?

Around the world, men are more likely to are more likely to engage in acts of physical violence.. This seems to suggest that it is a differentiated fact based on genes, but it is also possible that a universal characteristic is cultural.

6. How do human pheromones influence our behavior?

What we perceive by smell usually has a powerful impact on our mind, but in the case of pheromones it is not very well known how they act on us.

7. What causes autism?

Autism Spectrum Disorders are partly a mystery, and their cause is not well known. However, it is ruled out that they are caused by vaccines, as it is sometimes defended nowadays.

8. How do the great apes think?

The group of primates made up of chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and orangutans are the most intelligent non-human animals. are the most intelligent non-human animals and much remains to be known about their way of thinking.

9. Can psychopathy be eliminated?

There are people for whom psychopathy is not a problem, but in some cases it can be a psychological factor that predisposes them to harm others. In these cases, how can this psychological attribute be eliminated?

10. What produces falling in love?

It has been said that falling in love with someone is something that depends on the contexts you live together, and not on the personality and stable characteristics of people. Which of the two explanations prevails?