Chapter 1 What Is Science?

Front 1

What is Science?

Back 1

An intellectual activity, encompassing observation, description, experimentation, and explanation of natural phenomena.

Front 2

What do scientists do?

Back 2

Are curious, ask questions about how the world works, seek answers

Front 3

What is the scientific method?

Back 3

Step 1: Make observations, Step 2: formulate a hypothesis, Step 3: Devise a testable prediction, Step 4: Conduct a critical experiment, Step 5: Draw conclusions and make revisions.

Front 4

Why is the scientific method a particularly effective approach?

Back 4

Because it is empirical, rational, testable, repeatable, and self-correcting

Front 5

The scientific method is a ________, _________, and _________ pathway to understanding the world.

Back 5

Flexible, adaptable, efficient

Front 6

An example of an observation is:

Back 6

To many people, consuming echinacea extract seems to reduce the intensity or duration of symptoms of the common cold.

Front 7

A hypothesis must what?

Back 7

Clearly establish mutually exclusive alternative explanations for a phenomenon, and generated testable predictions.

Front 8

An example of a hypothesis is:

Back 8

Echinacea reduces the duration and severoty of the common cold.

Front 9

What is a null hypothesis?

Back 9

A negative statement that proposes that there is no relationship between two factors.

Front 10

Is the hypothesis or null hypothesis more valid?

Back 10

They are equally valid but the null hypothesis is easier to prove.

Front 11

Why is a null hypothesis easier to prove?

Back 11

Because a single piece of evidence that contradicts a null hypothesis is sufficient for rejection.

Front 12

The goal for devising a testable prediction from a hypothesis is to?

Back 12

Propose a situation that will give a particular outcome if your hypothesis is true, but that will give a different outcome if your hypothesis is not true.

Front 13

What is an example of devising a testable prediction?

Back 13

If echinacea reduces the furation and severity of syntoms of the common cold, then:

Front 14

What does a critical expierement do?

Back 14

One that makes it possible to decisively determine whether a particular hypothesis is correct.

Front 15

What is an example of conducting a critical experiment?

Back 15

Researchers randomly divided 437 volunteers into four groups to test the effect of echinacea on the common cold.

Front 16

What can we do with the results of experimental tests?

Back 16

We can revise a hypothesis and explain the observable world with increasing accuracy.

Front 17

What do experimental conclusions often generate?

Back 17

Ideas for further experimentation.

Front 18

What is an example of drawing conclusions and making revisions?

Back 18

Front 19

When do hypotheses become theories?

Back 19

A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for phenomenon, a theory is a hypothesis for natural phenomena that is exceptionally well supported by the data.

Front 20

What makes a hypothesis?

Back 20

A good hypothesis leads to good predictions.

Front 21

What makes a good theory?

Back 21

Repeatedly tested and broader in scope.

Front 22

What are the 4 elements common to most experiments?

Back 22

1. Treatment, 2. Experimental Group, 3. Control Group, 4. Variables

Front 23

What is a treatment?

Back 23

Any experimental condition applied to individuals.

Front 24

What is an experimental group?

Back 24

A group of individuals who are exposed to a particular treatment.

Front 25

What is a control group?

Back 25

A group of individuals who are treated identically to the experimental group with the one exception: they are not exposed to treatment.

Front 26

What is a variable?

Back 26

Characteristics of your experimental system that are subject to change.

Front 27

What does controlling variables in an experiment do?

Back 27

The most important feature of a good experiment, the attempt to minimize any differences between a control group and an experimental group other than the treatment itself, Randomized (the subjects are randomly assigned into experimental and control groups. )

Front 28

What happens without a controlled group?

Back 28

Front 29

What is a blind experimental design?

Back 29

The experimental subjects do not know which treatment (if any) they are recieveing.

Front 30

What is a double-blind experimental design?

Back 30

Neither experimental subjects nor the experimenter knows which treatment the subject is receiving.

Front 31

What should vary only with respect to the treatment interest?

Back 31

Control and experimental groups

Front 32

How do you draw in clear conclusions?

Back 32

Hold constant all those variables we are not interested in.

Front 33

What must an experiment have before it is widely accepted?

Back 33

Experiments and their outcomes must be repeatable for their conclusions to be valid.

Front 34

What can influence behavior, including our collection and interpretation of data?

Back 34

Biases

Front 35

Is it possible to minimize such biases?

Back 35

With careful controls

Front 36

How can we better understand and explain phenomena?

Back 36

With visual displays of data.

Front 37

What are the three common displays of data used in biology?

Back 37

Bar graph, line graph, pie chart

Front 38

What is a bar graph?

Back 38

Rectungular bars are used to represent data, each with a height that is proportional to the value being presented.

Front 39

What is a line graph?

Back 39

A line or curve may be used to connect data points or to illustrate trends across many data points.

Front 40

What is a pie chart?

Back 40

"Slices" are used to represent data, in which each slice is a proportion of the whole.

Front 41

What are the 2 variables used in biology?

Back 41

Independent and dependent variables??

Front 42

What is an independent variable?

Back 42

Some measurable entity that is available at the start of a process and whose value can be changed as required.

Front 43

What is a dependent variable?

Back 43

Created by the process being observed and value cannot be controlled.

Front 44

What are the 6 things usualy displayed on a graph?

Back 44

Title, y-axis, Dependent variable, Data points, x-axis, independent variable

Front 45

What can using displays in a presentation reduce?

Back 45

Ambiguity, biases, hidden assumptions, and other issues that reduce a viewers confidence in the underlying truth of the presented phenomena.

Front 46

What can statistics help with?

Back 46

Evaluating wether differences between a treatment and control group can be attributed to the treatment rather than random chance.

Front 47

What are statistics?

Back 47

A set of analytical and mathematical tools designed to help researchers gain understanding from the data they gather.

Front 48

Drawing conclusions based on observations is _____.

Back 48

Risky

Front 49

What does a positive correlation mean?

Back 49

When one variable increases, so does the other.

Front 50

What can stastics help us identify?

Back 50

Relationships (or lack of relationships ) between variables.

Front 51

What does Paeudoscience and anecdotal observations often lead people to believe?

Back 51

That links between two phenomena exist, when in fact there are no such links.

Front 52

What is pseudoscience?

Back 52

Individuals make scientific sounding claims that are not supported by trustworthy, methodical scientific studies.

Front 53

What is an ancedotal observation?

Back 53

Based on one or a few observations, people conclude that there is (or is not) a link between two things.

Front 54

Are there limits to what science can do?

Back 54

Yes.

Front 55

Is life easily described?

Back 55

No

Front 56

What are characteristics that all living organisms share?

Back 56

Complex and ordered organization, they use and transform of energy, responsiveness to the external enviornment, regulation and homeostasis, growth, development, and reproduction, evolutionary adaptation leading to decent with modification.