skills and terms

Question 1

what is validity

Answer 1

how appropriate the method is in addressing the aim of the experiment

Question 2

what factors affect validity

Answer 2

equipment - is it well calibrated?

controlled variables - are they maintained well?

Question 3

reliability

Answer 3

how close repeated measurements are to each other

Question 4

how is reliability measured

Answer 4

tested through repetition; little variation means reliable

Question 5

accuracy

Answer 5

how close the final result is to the correct or accepted value

Question 6

factors affecting accuracy

Answer 6

can be improved by calibrating equipment to reduce systematic errors

Question 7

if the experiment is invalid due to inappropriate method, are results reliable

Answer 7

can be

Question 8

if experiment is invalid du to inconstant controls, is the experiment reliable?

Answer 8

no

Question 9

explain how you can assess a secondary source for its reliability

Answer 9

when assessing a secondary source for its reliability, it is necessary to see who wrote it and assess if the person or organisation is qualified and reputable. the information cannot be biased. it must be current and refer to statistics from first hand sources.

Question 10

craap test for reliability and validity

Answer 10

current –> look at dates
relevant –> the information is relevant to your area of study
authority –> is the org/publisher reputable/qualified?
accurate –> accuracy can be determined by authority of the source
purpose –> purpose is to inform, not advertise etc

Question 11

ediacaran vs cambrian

Answer 11

ediacaran animals were sessile (slow-moving) and soft-bodied, while cambrian animals had hard-exoskeletons or hard parts and were moving.

Question 12

justify which fossils would be the best fossils to date rock layer x

Answer 12

If both are present, then it can only be layer x