Scientific Method (1) Flashcards
Q: What is the scientific method?
It is an approach to knowledge acquisition that ensures understanding is based on evidence from observation and experimentation.
Q: What are the two types of science?
A: Descriptive science, which seeks to characterize patterns, and hypothesis-testing science, which tests causal explanations for observed patterns.
Q: What is the difference between a hypothesis and a prediction?
A: A hypothesis is a causal explanation for a pattern, while a prediction is what will be observed under specified conditions if the hypothesis is true.
Q: Why does science proceed by rejecting hypotheses rather than proving them?
A: Hypotheses cannot be proven, only disproven. Rejecting hypotheses allows science to eliminate incorrect explanations and refine understanding.
Q: What is a refutable hypothesis?
A: A hypothesis that can be falsified by evidence, meaning there are possible outcomes that are inconsistent with it.
Q: What is the role of confounding variables in scientific studies?
A: Confounding variables are unknown factors that may influence observed patterns. They can affect the association between independent and dependent variables, and controls are used to minimize their effects.
Q: What is the difference between observational and manipulative studies?
A: Observational studies involve measuring without altering the system, while manipulative studies involve changing something and comparing results to a control or other treatments.
Q: What is inductive reasoning in science?
A: Inductive reasoning involves synthesizing specific observations to create a general conclusion, though the conclusion is not necessarily true even if all the observations are.
Q: What is deductive reasoning in hypothesis-testing science?
A: Deductive reasoning is reasoning from general premises to a specific conclusion. In science, it is used to derive predictions from hypotheses.
Q: What are the four requirements for science to result in knowledge acquisition?
A: Science must be rational, skeptical, objective, and methodologically materialistic.
Q: What is the difference between a hypothesis and a theory?
A: A hypothesis is a causal explanation that can be tested, while a theory is a hypothesis that has survived multiple falsification attempts and is widely accepted as scientific knowledge.
Q: What is inferential strength, and which type of study typically has greater inferential strength?
A: Inferential strength measures how strongly results support conclusions. Manipulative studies usually have greater inferential strength than observational studies because they control confounding variables.
Q: How does extrapolation affect inferential strength?
A: Inferential strength decreases with more extrapolation, as studies are often conducted on model systems that are smaller or simpler than the actual systems of interest.
Q: What is the folate hypothesis regarding skin color evolution?
A: The hypothesis suggests that increased melanin production in areas of high UV exposure evolved to protect against the breakdown of folate, which is essential for DNA synthesis, especially during pregnancy.
Q: Why is statistical hypothesis testing used in scientific studies?
A: Statistical hypothesis testing determines whether patterns observed in a study are real biological phenomena or due to random sampling variation.
Q: What is a reciprocal transplant experiment, and how does it test for local adaptation?
A: A reciprocal transplant experiment involves moving organisms between different environments to test whether they are better adapted to their native environment than to others.
