01. Scientific Method in Biology

Question 1

What is reductionism?

Answer 1

scientific approach of reducing complex systems to simpler components that are more manageable

Question 2

What is inductive reasoning?

Answer 2

Conclusions are drawn from trends or patterns in data

Question 3

What is deductive reasoning?

Answer 3

uses general premises to pose a hypothesis and make specific predictions.

Question 4

What is the Popperian Hypothetico-deductive method (the scientific method)

Answer 4

Popper’s basic scientific principle was that of falsifiability.
-A scientific statement (hypothesis) is one that could possibly be proven wrong

Question 5

What is a theory?

Answer 5

When repeated experimentation and observation supports a hypothesis

Question 6

Compare qualitative vs. quantitative data

Answer 6

1. Qualitative (observational descriptions)

2. Quantitative (recorded measurements, counts, or binary response)

Question 7

What is a controlled experiment?

Answer 7

Control groups are used to cancel the effects of unwanted variables

Question 8

What is the basic principle of repeatability?

Answer 8

Observations and experimental results must be repeatable so they can be verified by independent research teams