Methods to confirm theories

Question 1

Which is a more sophisticated application of deduction and induction?

Answer 1

Scientific confirmation

Question 2

What is the idea of plausibility?

Answer 2

The idea of plausibility where the hypothesis is confirmed to a certain extent in light to a certain amount of evidence

Question 3

What did Carl Gustav Hempel suggest?

Answer 3

He suggests the we can confirm hypotheses using a certain degree of evidence

Question 4

What is Fleming’s experiment an example of?

Answer 4

An example of context of justification: the way Fleming discovered penicillin is irrelevant to the fact whether penicillin is effective or not as a treatment for certain diseases caused by staphylococcus

Question 5

What did Carl Popper do?

Answer 5

He was the proponent of a methodology called falsificationism

Question 6

What is the Wason Rule Discovery Test?

Answer 6

illustrates why trying to confirm hypothesis is not always the best methodology

Question 7

Definition of confirmation bias

Answer 7

Confirmation bias connotes the seeking and interpreting the evidence in ways that are partial to existing beliefs, expectations or a hypothesis in hand

Question 8

What is the true test for science according to Karl Popper?

Answer 8

Falsification

Question 9

What happens when a theory has been subjected to many falsifying tests?

Answer 9

It is corroborated: the theory has not been shown to be false

Question 10

What is important about failing to falsify a hypothesis?

Answer 10

Failing to falsify a hypothesis does not make the hypothesis true

Question 11

What are the characters fo scientific enquiry?

Answer 11

1. Logic: uses logical reasoning
2. Empirical: uses tests/ experiments
3. Open: it is always possible to reject a hypothesis

Question 12

What did J.S.Mill try to understand in the 19th century?

Answer 12

What methodology we have for inferring a causation form singular instances

Question 13

What are better schemes of reasoning?

Answer 13

Scientific experimentation
Randomised control trials and statistics techniques

Question 14

5 methods for inferring a causation

Answer 14

1. Method of agreement
2. Method of difference
3. Joint method of agreement and difference
4. Method of residues
5. Method of concomitant variation

Question 15

What was Ignaz Swemmelweis investigating?

Answer 15

He wanted to know the cause of puerperal fever

Question 16

What were the hypotheses Ignaz Swemmelweis formulated?

Answer 16

H1: mothers were dying because of poor performance from young doctors
H2: patients are terrorised when hearing the bells from the Last Rites
H3: Patients were contaminated by cadaveric matter brought from the autopsy ward and delivery wards as doctors conducting the dissections would not wash their hands

Question 17

What was the first controlled experiment in the history of medicine?

Answer 17

Making doctors wash their hands before helping child labour

Question 18

What is the logic of Ignaz Swemmelweis experiment?

Answer 18

Analysis of a cause and effect