Scientific Method

Front 1

Causation

Back 1

Proximate/Remote/Ultimate
Correlation

Explain why soda goes flat in the bottle
Cause – the CO2 escapes from the soda

Front 2

Causal Mechanism

Back 2

Explains how a cause leads to the effect.

Explain why the sky is blue & sunsets are red
Causal Mechanism – blue light is scattered

Front 3

Underlying Process

Back 3

Explains effect by description of a more fundamental process.

Explain why things heat up when placed in the sun
Underlying Process – when EM waves hit the material, energy is absorbed by the atoms, causing them to move faster.

Front 4

Laws

Back 4

-explains by reference to a general principle.

Explain why the book falls when you let go of it.
Laws: gravity

Front 5

Function

Back 5

explains by the role it places in a larger system.

Explain why sunglasses and car windows are sometimes polarized
Function – prevent glare

Front 6

Observation

Back 6

The facts surrounding the phenomenon investigated.

Front 7

Explanations

Back 7

A set of conjunctures that if were true would account for the puzzle.

Causes, Causal Mechanisms, Laws, Underlying Process, Function

Front 8

Comparative Data

Back 8

Compare two sets of data.

Parents who adopt have another child

Parents who don't adopt ______.

Front 9

Falsifiability

Back 9

rule out factors that could account for a failed prediction even if the explanation is right.

Front 10

Verifiability

Back 10

rule out factors that could explain a successful prediction if the explanation is wrong.