EVIDENCE Flashcards
theory
A hypothesis or set of hypotheses for which a large body of high-quality evidence has been accumulated.
Anecdote
An account of a person’s experience or event.
uncontrolled variables
A variable in an experiment that a scientist makes no effort to manipulate or account for.
primary research.
Original research where scientists perform experiments and collect data – this is in contrast to secondary research where scientists analyze data that has already been collected or published elsewhere.
correlations
A relationship between two or more variables.
Observational research
Research in which a researcher observes ongoing behaviors to determine correlation.
randomized control trial (RCT),
A type of scientific study/trial where participants are randomly assigned into different groups – one or more will be the intervention to be tested and one will be the control group. Groups are randomized and a control is used in an attempt to reduce potential bias in the trial.
independent variable
The variable scientists manipulate in an experiment.
external validity
The ability to generalize the results of a study.
systematic review
A review where scientists systematically gather all research on a topic and evaluate it based on predefined criteria and rules.
meta-analysis
A statistical analysis of a group of studies to assess the overall weight of the evidence.
A scientific theory is just a guess.
False
Which of the following ranks highest in terms of quality?
Randomized control trials
