Science Inquiry Skills Flashcards
What are science inquiry skills?
Skills used to design, conduct, analyze, and evaluate scientific investigations, including questioning, predicting, experimenting, and interpreting data.
What is the mean in a dataset?
The average of all values, calculated by dividing the sum of the values by the total number of values.
What is the median in a dataset?
The middle value when the data is ordered from smallest to largest. If there’s an even number of values, the median is the average of the two middle values.
When is it better to use the median instead of the mean?
When the dataset contains outliers, as the median is less affected by extreme values.
What is an independent variable (IV)?
The variable that is deliberately changed or manipulated in an experiment to observe its effects.
What is a dependent variable (DV)?
The variable that is measured to see how it responds to changes in the independent variable.
What are extraneous variables?
Variables other than the IV that could affect the DV if not controlled.
What are two types of extraneous variables?
Participant variables (e.g., mood, age) and situational variables (e.g., temperature, lighting).
What happens when extraneous variables are not controlled?
They become confounding variables, making it difficult to determine the cause of changes in the DV.
What is reliability in an experiment?
The consistency of a measurement or the ability to get the same results when the experiment is repeated.
How can you improve reliability?
Use standardized procedures, repeat trials, and ensure accurate data recording.
What is validity in an experiment?
The extent to which an experiment measures what it claims to measure.
What are two types of validity?
Internal validity (how well the study is conducted) and external validity (how well the results can be generalized).
How can you improve validity?
Control extraneous variables, use a representative sample, and ensure the operationalization of variables is accurate.
What are the four key ethical principles in scientific research?
Respect, integrity, beneficence, and justice.
