Scientific Method Flashcards
What is the scientific method
Process followed to answer questions about the world around us, it consists of a series of steps that ensures that your investigation is fair and reliable.
Why is the scientific method beneficial to science
It standardizes scientific investigations so that scientists can feel confident that they limit the influence of personal proconceived notions.
State the 6 steps to the scientific method
- make an observation 2. ask question 3. do backroud research 4. form hypothesis 5. test hypothesis 6. draw conclusion
Why is backround research beneficial
It helps you understand the facts about your research
What is a hypothesis?
A statement about what you think is going to happen
what 3 things must the hypothesis include
both the independent and the dependent variable as well as the word will
what is an aim
a statement about what the researcher wants to find out
State the three types of variable
control / independent / dependent
explain the independent variable
What you change in the experiment
explain the dependent variable
What you measure
explain the control variable
factors that need to be kept the same during the experiment
What is a control group?
The second Investigation that’s set up exactly the same as the experiment except for the IDV being tested
What is the purpose of a control group?
it serves as a standard of measurement to compare the results of the experiment.
List three rules that are important when writing up a method
must be witten in past tense, must be clear and precise, written in correct order
Explain the difference between reliability and validity
Reliability refers to the results being repeated and the ability of other people to repeat the experiment and obtain same results, validity questions how the experiment was conducted.
