My Labs Module One

What would be useful in identifying pseudoscience?

Beliefs

Links between lifestyle and health...

Epidemiological Study

The one variable that is manipulated by a scientist as a potential cause in an experiment is the ________ variable.

Independent

When you read a scientific paper, which of the following is most critical to assure that the researchers followed scientific principles?

It was peer-reviewed

You see a display for a new diet pill in a grocery store. The display includes a stack of color-printed handouts claiming the average user of the product loses five lbs per week while taking the product. Which of the following would indicate that the handout is not a reliable source?

The intent of the handout is to convince the consumer to buy the diet pills

When reading a scientific paper, which of the following is most likely? A.) The larger the sample size, the worse the statistical analysis B.) Sample size has no impact on statistical analysis C.) The smaller the sample size, the better the statistical analysis D.) The larger the sample size, the better the statistical analysis

The larger the sample size the better the statistical analysis

A(n) _______ is broader in scope than a hypothesis, is supported by a large body of evidence, and generates many new hypotheses.

Theory

Rank the items from the part you should read first to last (Axis labels, source, title, legend)

Title, Axis Labels, Legend, Source

What is the difference between a primary and secondary source?

A primary source is the original material published by the scientists, whereas a secondary source is a description of the original material

Which of the following phrases best describes a hypothesis?

A proposed explanation for an observation or question

___________ can be drawn based on the data obtained.

Conclusion

A ______ group establishes a base line for an experiment

Control group

The type of test that changes only one variable at a time in order to isolate the results is known as a ________ experiment.

Controlled

A(n) ____________ involves running a test of multiple times while changing one variable, leaving the others the same.

Controlled Experiment

In a _______ experiment, the researcher- but not the participants- know who receives the treatment and who does not.

Double-blind

The _______ variable is the factor a scientist observes to see the effect of the change made

Dependent

Clinical trials are controlled human experiments designed to determine if a medical intervention is effective or not. When researchers are designing the trial, several elements can help increase confidence in the answer. In a trial to determine if a new drug is effective, which of the following elements should be included for highest confidence in the results? A.) Do not tell participants or the researchers collecting data which group participants are in B.) Give some participants the new drug and some participants a placebo drug C.) Give participants younger than age 30 a placebo, and give participants older than age 30 the new drug D.) Inform participants if they are in a control group not receiving the drug, so they can find other treatments during the trial E.) Put all participants into the group receiving the new drug to maximize the number of people in that group

Do not tell participants or the researchers collecting data which group participants are in Give some participants the new drug and some participants a placebo drug

A(n) __________ provides data that may support or refute the hypothesis.

Experiment

Which of the following phrases best describes a theory?

Has withstood the test fo time, broad and comprehensive in scope, and supported by a wide variety of evidence

A good ________ will lead to experiments that provide measurable data

Hypothesis

A(n) _________ is a proposed explanation for a set of observations. It leads to predictions that can be tested by additional observations or by experiments.

Hypothesis

Manipulation of subjects..

Hypothesis driven controlled study

Scientists use the word theory to mean a ______ that has been supported by many experiments; non-scientists use the word ______ to mean a _______ that remains to be well tested

Hypothesis, Theory, Hypothesis

A _________ is a group in which no response is expected

Negative control

______ lead to questions about why the world is the way it is.

Observation

What are the steps of the process of science?

Observation, communication, outcomes, and testing (can be in any order)

No manipulation...

Observational Study

Studies that are often of medication...

Placebo-controlled clinical trials

A ________ is a group in which a known response is expected

Positive control

To investigate a ________, a scientist may pose a hypothesis, a proposed explanation that can be investigated.

Question

Which of the following is an example of an observational study? A.) Researchers modify rice seeds to be flood resistant. Then, they plant the new seeds in multiple fields; some fields receive normal water, and some fields are flooded for twice as long. Researchers then measure the growth of rice plants in both fields. B.) Researchers split people into three groups, and told one group to not exercise, one group to exercise 30 minutes a day, and one group to exercise 60 minutes a day. Researchers then determine if exercise affects the participant's lung capacities. C.) Researchers ask people how long they normally sleep every night. Researchers then determine if fewer hours of sleep at night is associated with an increased likelihood of being overweight. D.) Researchers interested in dog longevity establish two groups: in one group dogs receive a pharmaceutical drug, and in the other group, dogs receive a placebo. Researchers then measure the dogs' life spans

Researchers asking people how long they normally sleep every night. Researchers then determine if fewer hours of sleep at night is associated with an increased likelihood of being overweight.

Scientists use a general process known as the ____________ to ask and answer questions about nature.

Scientific Method

Which of the following best describes a hypothesis-driven controlled experiment? A.) Testing a hypothesis when the researchers and test subjects are both blind to the conditions B.) Testing the hypothesis by changing a variable and running the experiment only collecting data from that group C.) Testing a hypothesis using groups that differ only by the one variable under consideration D.) Testing a hypothesis by carefully observing what is naturally happening

Testing a hypothesis using groups that differ only by the one variable under consideration