Unit 3 - Topic 3 - Reporting and critical evaluation of biological research - Section B - Reporting and evaluating experimental design

Question 1

What should a method section contain

Answer 1

A method section should contain sufficient information to allow another investigator to repeat the work

Question 2

What should the experimental design address

Answer 2

Experimental design should address the intended aim and test the hypothesis

Question 3

What should the validity and reliability be evaluated

Answer 3

The validity and reliability of the experimental design should be evaluated. An experimental design that does not address the intended aim or test the hypothesis is invalid.

Question 4

What should treatment effects should be compared to

Answer 4

Treatment effects should be compared to
controls

Question 5

What should happen to confounding variables

Answer 5

Any confounding variables should be taken into account or standardised across treatments

Question 6

When may the validity of an experiment be compromised

Answer 6

The validity of an experiment may be compromised when factors other than the independent variable influence the value of the dependent variable

Question 7

How does selection bias effect representative sampling

Answer 7

Selection bias is the selection of a sample in a non-random way, so that the sample is not representative of the whole population. Selection bias may have prevented a representative sample being selected

Question 8

How does sample size affect representative sampling

Answer 8

Sample size may not be sufficient to decide without bias whether the change to the independent variable has caused an effect in the dependent variable