Biology-Science Practices and Social Behaviors-Scientific Method Vocab Flashcards
Observation
- Uses senses to examine something
- Discover a problem that might need solving
- Find something unknown to you or others
Ex) My brother cries a lot.
Research
-Background info that will help you form your hypothesis
-Is on research already done outside of your experiment
-Use RELIABLE information. Books or vetted websites. NOT Wikipedia. No one likes Wikipedia.
Ex) According to a study done from psychology students in UC Davis, around the age of 16 months, children begin to develop a sense of entitlement and ownership. This is around the time when most children will begin to recognize items that are theirs and throw tantrums when their things are taken from them.
(This is totally made up. Don’t use me as a source. I’m worse than Wikipedia.)
Hypothesis/Prediction
-Usually figured into an if/then STATEMENT
-Can be tested
-is NOT a question. (Will this happen?)
Ex) IF (Something) happens THEN (something else) will happen.
Ex) If I take over my 2 year old brother’s building blocks from him while he is still laying with them, then he will cry.
Experiment
-Tests your Hypothesis
-Should be performed in a controlled environment
-All data should be recorded as specifically as possible
Ex) I brought my 2 year old brother into a quiet room that he is familiar with. I left him alone for five minutes with six bright green wooden building cubes, all identical in size, shape, color, and weight. When I returned exactly five minutes later, I grabbed all six cubes from him with limited contact of his hands and body. He began to cry with 1.7 seconds.
Conclusion
- Should go over and restate every part of your experiment as specifically as possible
- Should state whether or not your hypothesis was correct and why
- If incorrect, decide whether or not further experimentation should follow to find the solution
Ex) Yeah, no, this would be WAY too long. Just follow the bullet points, you’ll be fine.
