Exam 1 Flashcards
what does the scientific method start with?
an observation
What are some sources of observation that might be used by a scientist?
through carefully surveying nature with specialized measurement tools OR by reading the scientific literature where scientists have reported previous research
an important step in structuring scientific inquiry
pose a specific question you would like to answer
what is a hypothesis
a hypothetical answer to your research question and should be in the form of a statement
what makes a hypothesis good
a hypothesis has to be testable and falsifiable
can we use science to answer the question “does God exist”
no
what are the 6 steps of the scientific method
make an observation, form a hypothesis, make a prediction, test the prediction, iterate
what is a prediction
a specific example of something that has to be true if your hypothesis is true
what is the ideal test of a prediction
a controlled experiment that has a large sample size and can be replicated by other scientists
what will a good scientist do if their hypothesis is supported by results
go back and test more predictions to increase their confidence in the validity of the first experiment
what will a good scientist do if their hypothesis is not supported by results
test a new hypothesis
which part of the scientific method involves a controlled experiment
“Test the prediction” step
Why might a researcher “Iterate” or continue to study the same research question after completing one experiment?
because the test results did not support the hypothesis so they have to come up with a new one
what is the benefit of prenatal genetic testing
early identification of certain genetic disorders allow interventions that can improve the baby’s quality of life
what is pku (phenylketonuria)
a disorder where the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase is not functional
what is phenylalanine hydroxylase
a critical enzyme that converts phenylalanine into tyrosine
symptoms of pku
intellectual disabilities and seizures
how can pku symptoms be avoided
if the individual follows a strict diet that limits phenylalanine intake and supplements tyrosine
what critical process is facilitated by phenylalanine hydroxylase
enzyme helps to break phenylalanine down into tyrosine
what are the limits of genetic testing
limited to tests about health issues but in the future tests could include info about non-health related traits
somatic gene editing
cells are removed from the patient, repaired with CRISPR/Cas9 and then returned to the body
what does somatic gene editing target
genes in specific types of cells
are other cells affected by somatic gene editing
no
germline gene editing
germline modifications are made early in development and any change is copied into every cell, including sperm or eggs so the edited gene is passed on to future generations
what type of gene editing did the Chinese twins receive? when were their genes edited?
germline; zygote stage
how might widespread gene editing actually make us more susceptible to infectious diseases?
homogenizing our genomes by keeping only alleles that we judge “the best” can rid of genetic diversity that could be beneficial in the future
what is the equity concern related to genetic testing
it will create a powerful source of inequality
when a researcher is setting up the experimental group and control group for an experiment, the one thing that differs between those two groups is the
independent variable
in 2016 what percentage of STEM PhD’s were awarded to black women
2.2%
how many women of color have won the nobel prize for their work in science
1
what proportion of speakers at chemistry conferences are women of color
1 in 25
what percentage of provosts at major research universities are women of color
<3%
what are the benefits to having more diversity on research teams
more likely to investigate problems that disproportionately impact minorities
will have more creative approaches to solving problems
will develop a wider variety of unique research questions
will be less likely to view results with a unified set of biases
who was niko tinbergen
one of the founders of the modern study of animal behavior
how did niko tinbergen improve the field of animal behavior study
by using controlled experiments (deductive reasoning) when most researchers were only making observations and making untested claims (inductive reasoning)
are the Niko Tinbergen’s four questions mutually exclusive?
no they are related to each other and any single behavior can be studies using all four approaches
Niko Tinbergen’s four questions
causation/mechanic
developmental/ontogenetic
function/adaptive
evolution/phylogenetic
proximate questions
ask how a behavior happens in an individual animal
ultimate questions
ask why a behavior has evolved in a species
which of the four questions are proximate questions
causation/mechanistic and developmental/ontogenetic
which of the four questions are ultimate questions
function/adaptive and evolution/phylogenetic
causation/Mechanistic
what stimulus elicits the behavior, and what physiological mechanisms mediate the response?
developmental/Ontogenetic
how does the animal’s experience during growth and development influence the response?
Function/Adaptive
how does the behavior aid survival and reproduction?
Evolution/Phylogenetic
what is the behavior’s evolutionary history?
what is the purpose of tinbergen’s four questions
to structure animal behavior research into four areas and approach behavior from any one of these four ways
which of Tinbergen’s Four Questions seeks to understand which cues or gestures animals use to communicate with one another?
causation/mechanistic
how do honeybees communicate the location of a food source to their hive mates?
they use a waggle dance, the length tells the distance, and the direction tells where to go relative to the sun
which of Tinbergen’s Four Questions seeks to understand how your experiences growing up determine your behavior?
developmental/ontogenetic
what does it mean if a bee dances straight upwards
food is directly in line with the sun
what does it mean if a bee dances at a 30 degree angle to the sun
30 degree to the left of up tells other bees to fly 30 degree to the left of the position of the sun
what is the hypothesized function of jealousy, according to Evolutionary Psychology?
jealousy is an adaptive trait that improves reproductive success by enforcing monogamy.
what is the reasoning behind evolutionary psychology’s hypothesis
the nature of jealousy should differ between sexes because males need a way to guarantee that they raise their own offspring and females need a way to guarantee that the father of her children will share the duties of child rearing.
how does kin selection favor the evolution of altruistic behaviors, such as alarm calling?
if you are putting yourself at risk for the benefit of a relative you’re putting yourself at risk for the fitness of someone with part of the genome; putting your genome’s fitness vicariously through an individual
sexual selection
special version of selection about maximizing reproductive success
sensory bias hypothesis
when a male has a mutation that causes them to have a trait that happens to trigger something that already exists in the female; pre existing bias in the females that makes males sexually attractive
