Chapter 1.3 Flashcards
Francis Bacon and Rene Descartes
English and French philosophers put science on path to modernity by inventing new habits of scientific thoughtq
Scientific method
Certain habits of disciplined creativity, careful observation, logical thinking, and honest analysis of one’s observations and conclusions
Inductive method
Process of making numerous observations until one feels confident in drawing generalizations and predictions from them. First prescribed by Bacon
Hypothetico-deductive method
How most physiological knowledge was obtained. Hypothesis and falsifiability
Hypothesis
An educated speculation. One, consistent with what is already known and two, capable of being tested and possibly falsified by evidence
Falsifiability
If we claim something is scientifically true, we must be able to specify what evidence it would take to prove it wrong
Sample size
The number of subjects used in a study
Controls
Comparison between treated and untreated individuals so we can judge whether the treatment has any effect
Control group
Subjects that are as much like the treatment group as possible except with respect to the variable being tested
Treatment group
Subjects with a variable Being tested
Psychosomatic effects
Effects of the subject State of mind on his or her physiology
Placebo
A substance with no significant physiological effect on the body
Experimenter bias
Experimenters may want certain results so much that they’re biases, even subconscious ones, can affect their interpretation of the data
Double-blind method
Neither the subject to whom a treatment is given nor the person giving it and recording the results knows whether that subject is receiving the experimental treatment or the placebo
Statistical testing
Tests that show how great a difference must there be between control and experimental groups before we feel confident that it was due to the treatment and not merely random variation
