scientific thinking – Flashcards
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Biology is
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the study of living things.
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Thinking scientifically relies on
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objective observation and experimentation
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Science is self-correcting. This means that
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science actively seeks to disprove its own theories and hypothesis.
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What should you do when something you believe turns out to be wrong?
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change your mind
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You note a fuzzy growth on some of the gels in your incubator. What is the name given to this step of the scientific method?
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observation.
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which of the following is usually employed before the others by an investigator using the scientific method?
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make observations.
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Scientific study always begins with
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observations.
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Scientific data
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are used to support or refute a hypothesis.
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In a well-designed experiment
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the prediction will be highly imporbable if the explanation is not true. The prediction will be highly probable if the explanation is true.
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Engaging in aerobic activity three times each week will reduce cholesterol level
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testable hypothesis
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After generating a hypothesis, a scientist next
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makes a prediction
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a___ is a pill that looks identical to a pill that contains the active ingredient in a scientific trial, but contains no active ingredient itself.
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placebo
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Once a scientist has formulated a hypothesis that generates a testable prediction, she will
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conduct a critical experiment
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which of the following is the best way to state the relationship between "data" and results"
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"data are the facts you collect from your experiment, while "results" are your interpretation of what the data mean.
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If your hypothesis is rejected, then
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you may still have learned something about the system you were testing.
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If you conduct an experiment that rejects your hypothesis, then
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the null hypothesis was a better fit to your data.
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A scientific theory is one that
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is the result of all scientific experiments
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In science, theories tend to be_______ than hypotheses
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broader in scope.
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in controlled experiments
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one variable is manipulated while others are held constant
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In a randomized, controlled, double-blind study__
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neither the experimenter nor the subject know whether the subject is in a control group or an experimental group.
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An experimental condition applied to research subjects is called a___
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treatment.
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the placebo effect
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is the frequently observed, poorly understood, phenomenon that people tend to respond favorably to any treatment.
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which of the following is the best description of a control group in an experiment?
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the control group is identical to each test group except for one variable.
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which of the following is an important feature of the scientific method?
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anyone should be able to repeat an experiment.
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What is the best way for a scientist to address his/her own biases?
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use careful control to minimize them
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in a scientific study, the dependent variable is
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a measurable entity whose value always fluctuates up and down, closely following changes in another variable.
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in a line graph, the value of the independent variable is
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represented on the x-axis
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Statistical methods make it possible to
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determine how likely it is that certain results may have occurred by chance
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the setoff analytical and mathematical tools designed to help researchers gain understanding from the data they gather is called
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statistics
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anecdotal evidence
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can appear to reveal links between two phenomena that do not actually exist.
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pseudoscience capitalizes on the belief shared by most people that
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scientific thinking is a powerful method for learning about the world.
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science as a way of seeking principles of order differs from art,religion, and philosophy in that____
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science limits its search to the natural world of the physical universe
