Unit 3 - Investigative Biology Flashcards
Name the stages of the scientific cycle
Observation; build a hypothesis; experimental design; gathering recording and analysis of data; evaluation of results and conclusions; revising hypothesis where necessary
What is a null hypothesis?
It propeses there will be no statistically significant effect as a result of the experimental treatment
Name common methods of sharing original scientific findings
Seminars, talks, posters at conferences and publishing in academic journals
What does peer review mean?
When specialists with expertise in the relevant field assess the scientific quality of submitted research and make reccomendations on its suitabilty for publication
What are review articles?
They summarise current knowledge and recent findings in a paticular field
What are the 3 Rs used in animal studies?
Replacement, reduction and refinement
What ethics are involved in human studies?
Informed consent, right to withdraw and confidentiality
How can the reliabilty of an experiment be increased?
Replicating the experiment to reduce the chance for dishonesty or the deliberate missuse of science
Define validity
Variables are controlled so that any measured effect is likely to be due to independent variable
Define reliability
Consistent values in repeats and independent replicates
Define accuracy
Data, or means of data sets, are close to the true value
Define precision
Measured values are close to each other
What is a piloty study used for?
To plan procedures, assess validity and check techniques as well as figure out the number of repeats required to give a representative value
What is an independent and dependent variable?
Independent - variable that is changed
Dependent - variable being measured and observed
What is a drawback of simple experiment?
Findings may not be applicable to a wider setting