Ch.'s 1 & 2 Flashcards
STEM research
experiments that test hypotheses science, technology, engineering, &/ mathematics
scientific method
an inquiry process used to systematically study, investigate, and provide explanations for observed phenomenon in the natural world
data
the measurements & observations that are collected as part of a research project
often a combo of measurements & descriptions
dependent variable
responding variable
what you measure in an experiment & what is affected during the experiment
responds to the independent variable; “depends” on it
can’t have a dependent variable in a scientific experiment w/out an independent variable
entity
the subject, specimen, or item that is studied as part of a STEM research proj
experiment
the test conducted as part of the sci method that includes a hypothesis, an independent variable, and dependent variables
independent variable
manipulated variable
the variable in an experiment that is purposely changed or manipulated, either in quantity or quality, by the researcher
usually what u may think will affect the dependent variable; In some cases, u may not be able to manipulate the independent variable - may be something that’s already there & is fixed or something u would like to evaluate w/ respect to how it affects something else (Ex: how stress affects heart rate in humans
generating ideas
What do I want to learn?
Developing a research design
Determing variables to test and measure
identifying lab skills & lab resources
Knowing my topic
Background research on:
independent & dependent variables
entity being studied
writing the proposal
writing a hypothesis
performing pretrials
learning lab skills
scientific writing
addressing lab safety & ethical issues
determing best procedure
setting up and conducting the experiment
organzing the lab notebook
collecting data
statistical analysis
running statistics
putting data in tables & graphs
looking for patterns
interpreting the data
What do the data mean?
Accepting/rejecting the hypothesis
how might the results be important in this field and others?
report results
write a scientific research paper
design a poster or oral presentation
focusing a research project
What entity should I study → What could I manipulate or change? → What effects could I measure? → What skills, knowledge, and tools would I need? = possible research proj
safety
considerations must be made when working w/ chemicals, mold & microorganisms, electricity, radiation, and vertebrate animals - including humans
ethics
the “norms of conduct that distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable behavior”
main concern abt beginning researchers is that they aren’t aware of the issues that may violate the “acceptable behavior” norm → nation regulations put in place to ensure that researchers have thoroughly thought through their experimental procedures, understand the safety & ethical issues, can justify their methods, & can ensure the humane treatment of the entities being studied
constants
the factors within an experiment that are kept the same for all groups or trials in an attempt to reduce the influence of extraneous variables
control group
the group in an experiment that receives the exact treatment as the experimental groups except it doesn’t receive any change of the independent variable
the group to which the experimental groups are compared
sometimes can only be designated after data r collected; also, for some experiments, no control group & comparison among experimental groups = enough
experimental groups
the groups or trials in an experiment that receive all the same conditions except varying amounts or qualities of the independent variable
extraneous variable
an “undesirable” variable in addition to the independent variable that may influence the results of an experiment, introducing error if it is not, as much as possible, cotnrolled or significantly decreased in the research design
focal sampling
a behavioral recording technique when a narrative (i.e., what is called an essay in English class) is written on every behavior of one individual or group for a set length of time
hypothesis
a tentative (i.e., not final and definite) and testable proposed explanation for an observable phenomenon
purpose is to connect the manipulated changes made by the independent variable with the effects on the measurements of the dependent variable
a) one variable is tested, (b) it is clear how the changes will be measured and, (c) it includes a prediction that will be either supported or rejected by conducting the experiment
inference
a conclusion, based on facts, that a person perceives to be true
population
the complete collection of every item that has the same characteristics of the individuals in the sample group
qualitative data
data that describe characteristics or qualities, such as color, odor, or texture
-or-
data that describe category frequency or ratings, such as stem sturdiness (e.g., “sturdy,” “somewhat sturdy,” “limp”).
quantitative data
data that use numbers with a unit of measurement, such as the length of an insect in millimeters (millimeter is the unit of measurement) or the weight of a projectile in kilograms (kilograms is the unit of measurement)
sample
a subcollection of data that represent a larger population
scan sampling
a behavioral recording technique where behaviors that occur within a sequence are recorded in the order in whcih they occur
scan sampling
a behavioral recording technique where the activity of the indidvual or group is recorded only at preselected time intervals
trial
the replication of experimental & control groups; used to decrease the influence of variations associated with the independent variable, researcher measurement error, and difference b/w entities studied
