Science and Communication Flashcards
What does the Vancouver protocol for authorship state?
According to this protocol for authorship, an author should have contributed to all of the following:
The data – by way of ideas, collection, analysis and/or interpretation
The writing – drafting or editing
Approval of the final version – that is, should have seen all content and take their share of responsibility for the work.
What is considered the fourth pillar of science?
Peer review
Define scepticism
an attitude of doubt or a disposition to incredulity either in general or toward a particular object
Is the following an example of deductive or inductive reasoning?
I make the observation that each time I get up before 6.00 am, I am extremely tired by 4.00 pm in the afternoon. I reason that getting up early makes me tired.
Inductive reasoning
Define cognitive dissonance
the state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes, especially as relating to behavioural decisions and attitude change
Define peer review
evaluation of scientific, academic, or professional work by others working in the same field
Define inductive reasoning
amethod of reasoningin which thepremises are viewed as supplying some evidence for the truth of the conclusion
What are the advantages of the scientific method?
Empirical evidence
Repeated observations
Objective
Logical
What are the 5 steps in the Five-step model of science?
- Select an interesting phenomenon to study
- Propose a hypothesis
- Experiment and observe
- Construct a theory/model to explain results
- Make predictions from model and test
What elements are important to good science?
- It must include testable questions or hypothesis
- It should be varifiable
- The work has to be objective
- The results must be repeatable
- It should provide logical explanations
- The results and arguments should be critically analysed using scepticism
- Results must be disseminated, discussed and evaluated
Define scientific method
a method of procedure that has characterized natural science since the 17th century, consisting in systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses
What does plagiarism include?
Copying someone else’s words, ideas, diagrams and figures from textbooks or online sources
Copying the structure of someone else’s essay/paper/proposal/research
Recycling your work that has been previously submitted for another assignment.
Define news cycle
The reporting of a particular media story, from the first instance to the last
Define deductive reasoning
the process ofreasoningfrom one or more statements (premises) to reach a logically certain conclusion
What are the two types of reasoning?
Inductive reasoning
Deductive reasoning
Define H-index
an author-level metric that attempts to measure both the productivity andcitationimpact of the publications of a scientist or scholar
Define iterative
doing something again and again, usually to improve it
Who are the two important philosophers who made major contributions to the way scientific thinking has progressed?
Karl Popper
Thomas Kuhn
Why is it important to avoid plagiarism?
It tarnishes reputations
It rewards dishonesty
breaches our social contract with the community
Distorts the scientific process.
In what ways do scientists communicate with other scientists?
Primary research articles
Literature reviews
Conferences
Social media
Define media release
a written or recorded communication directed at members of thenews mediafor the purpose of announcing something ostensibly newsworthy
Define empiricism
Empirical evidence is something that can be observed or measured, and is usually quantitative. Importantly empirical evidence is also repeatable, so data can be checked directly. Scientific evidence is not based on hearsay, testimonial or circumstantial evidence, and in this, it differs from some other rigorous disciplines including law
Define objectivity
lack of bias, judgment, or prejudice
What is the difference between scepticism and denialism?
Scepticism wants to see all the evidence whereas denialism only considers the arguments that support their case
Define sound
describes an argument that is valid and all the premises are true
Define bias
inclination or prejudice for or against one person or group, especially in a way considered to be unfair
What are the three central components of scientific thinking?
Empiricism
Rationalism
Scepticisim
True or False:
Most scientists participate in the process as reviewers because it is paid work
False
Most scientists participate in the process as reviewers, even though it is unpaid
What do scientists aim to do?
- Achieve some understanding of the real world
- Make accurate, objective observations of the real world
- Construct or test the theories that are the best current explanations of these observation
Define meta-analysis
quantitative statisticalanalysisthat is applied to separate but similar experiments of different and usually independent researchers and that involves pooling the data and using the pooled data to test the effectiveness of the results
What is a fact?
Something that is observed. Facts are not deduced from understanding or mechanisms
Define monologue
a long speech by one actor in a play or film, or as part of a theatrical or broadcast programme
What did Thomas Kuhn find about science?
Kuhn observed what scientists actually did rather than philosophise about how science should work. He found that most scientists actually started with some data and then make a hypothesis using inductive reasoning
What is a theory?
A model or conceptual framework that explains all existing observations and predicts new ones. A series of related hypotheses and experiments are likely to be involved in formulating a theory. It is not speculation, conjecture or “just a theory”. Importantly, theories must be testable
What are the steps in Peter Doherty’s model of science?
Hypothesis
Experiment
Publish
Discuss
Define digital branding
abrandmanagement technique that uses a combination of internet branding anddigitalmarketing to develop abrandover a range ofdigital venues, including internet-based relationships, device-based applications or media content
What is a law?
A theory that is far-reaching and fundamental. It provides the ‘Big’ explanations, such as gravity, but can still be built on, expanded and improved
What are the two components that a good theory must have?
It must accurately describe a large class of observations on the basis of a model that contains only a few arbitrary elements
It must make definite predictions about the results of future observations
Define denialism
a person’s choice to deny reality, as a way to avoid a psychologically uncomfortable truth
What is a hypotheses?
A working assumption or provisional idea whose merit is to be evaluated. This is more than just a guess
Define dialogue
a conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play, or film
Why do some people reject scientific evidence?
Humans like consistency and there is strong tendency to eliminate cognitive dissonance: if the theory or data does not agree with your ideas or philosophy, then it is common to reject the science.
Define valid
describes an argument that accurately draws a conclusion from the given premises
What is a model?
A framework based on observation and experimentation that needs to be tested further. Models may be mathematical in nature, or a flow chart or concept map
What does the Vancouver protocol not specify?
does not set out a formula for the order of authors
Define confirmation bias
the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one’s existing beliefs or theories
Define rationalism
the practice or principle of basing opinions and actions on reason and knowledge rather than on religious belief or emotional response
Define Vancouver protocol?
an internationally recognised standard for determining authorship on publications based on an individual’s contributions
What are the three human responses to challenging information?
Denial
Dissonance
Confirmation bias
Define fallacy
a mistaken belief, especially one based on unsound arguments
Is the following argument valid and/or sound?
(a) a cat is a mammal
(b) mammals have hair/fur
(c) therefore a cat has fur
Valid and sound
Define social media
websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking
Define primary article
an article that reports on an empirical research study conducted by the authors. It is almost always published in a peer-reviewed journal
True or False:
Science is linear
False
It is iterative rather than linear
Is the following argument valid and/or sound?
(a) all beetles have wings
(b) slaters are beetles
(c) therefore slaters have wings
Valid but not sound
slaters are not beetles
What four components of empiricism are crucial to science?
Data
Verification
Objectivity
Replication
According to Stephen Hawking, a good theory must have two important features. What are they?
- They must accurately describe a large class of observations on the basis of a model that contains only a few arbitrary elements
- They must make definite predictions about the results of future observations
Define authorship
the state or fact of being the writer of a book, article, or document or the creator of a work of art
Define professional networking
a deliberate activity to build, reinforce and maintain relationships of trust with other people to further your goals
What are the possible fates of a peer reviewed article?
- Rejected outright
- Accepted with major revisions (and may then need re-reviewing)
- Accepted with minor revisions
- Occasionally accepted without change.
The reasons for communicating science to a non-scientist audience can be classed as what?
Economic Democratic Cultural Political Utilitarian.
Define review article
anarticlethat summarizes the current state of understanding on a topic. Areview articlesurveys and summarizes previously published studies, rather than reporting new facts or analysis. Also known as a secondary article
What did Karl Popper believe about science?
He believed that the correct way to implement science was the hypothethic-deduction method. He thought scientists should:
- start with a hypothesis
- work out what to expect by deduction
- perform tests
- compare the results with the expected outcome.
