CH 1 INVESTIGATING HB

Question 1

what is meant by the term ‘observation’?

Answer 1

the process of using the senses to acquire information
- any scientific procedure involves observation
used to
- chart changes/growth
- gain knowledge of animal behaviour

Question 2

what is a controlled experiment?

Answer 2

experiment where one variable is changed while all the others are kept the same
any difference in the results should be due to the independent variable

Question 3

what is a survey?

Answer 3

process of systematically collecting, analysing and interpreting info about an aspect of study

Question 4

define trial and error

Answer 4

systematic process involving one attempt to solve a problem being followed by another. each trial is recorded and a variable is changed each time.

Question 5

difference between case study and longitudinal study

Answer 5

case study: in-depth investigation of a particular person or situation
longitudinal study: like a case study but over a long period of time

Question 6

what is the scientific method? (7 steps)

Answer 6

the scientific method is a systematic approach

1. recognise a problem and define a question
2. collect as much info as possible relating to the problem
3. propose hypothesis (possible explanation for problem)
4. test hypothesis through experiment
5. analyse and interpret data collected from experiment
6. draw conclusions about whether the hypothesis was supported/unsupported
7. report on the investigation

Question 7

what is a literature review?

Answer 7

a survey of the material that has been written about subject under consideration

Question 8

what are the purposes of a literature review

Answer 8

• to help researcher define the problem
• to find out what is already known about the problem,
• to assess research methods
• to allow researchers to relate their findings to what they already know

Question 9

what are the ethical principles (hb - 4)

Answer 9

• voluntary participation (no pressure)
• informed consent (objectives, procedures, risks, benefits)
• no risk of harm (physical, psychological)
• confidentiality (patient identity only known by those directly involved)

Question 10

any use of animals should be…

Answer 10

• valid
• humane
• justifiable
• considerate

Question 11

define reliability

Answer 11

the extent to which an experiment gives the same result each time it is performed

Question 12

define replication

Answer 12

having a number of identical experiments running together or at the same time

Question 13

define validity

Answer 13

extent to which an experiment tests what it is supposed to test

Question 14

define accuracy

Answer 14

how close the data is to the exact value

Question 15

define quantitative data

Answer 15

expressed in numbers

Question 16

define qualitative data

Answer 16

observations not involving data

Question 17

define secondary data

Answer 17

data collected by someone other than the people who are using the data

Question 18

what is the equation for percentage change?

Answer 18

((new value - old value) / old value) x 100

Question 19

what is frequency?

Answer 19

number of times an event occurs

• collected in frequency distribution table
• displayed in a histogram

Question 20

define interpolation

Answer 20

• predicts values between two points on a graph

Question 21

define extrapolation

Answer 21

• predicts future trends beyond data on graph

Question 22

what is a model?

Answer 22

simplified representation of an idea or process

Question 23

what is a flow chart?

Answer 23

diagram that shows the steps involved in a process

Question 24

define repetition

Answer 24

doing the same experiment many times