Quiz #2, MidTerm, SCIENCE: Quiz 3

Which of the following topics would be best suited to comparative research?

Determining the effect of caffeine on fetal development.

An experimental approach to problem solving is only useful in scientific research laboratories.

False

Comparative research studies are by definition less valid than experiments.

False

Funding institutions never identify research that they would like conducted. They simply read proposals and decide which has the most to offer society.

False

Good researchers always follow a precise and thoroughly planned pathway from start to finish, leaving nothing to chance.

False

Gregor Mendel did his research in complete isolation.

False

In order to use description as a research method, a scientist must manipulate variables.

False

Scientific research always makes use of only one methodology and never overlaps multiple methods.

False

Scientific theories are always broad and cover many concepts.

False

Scientific theories do not change once they have been written down.

False

Scientists are completely objective and never let their personal experiences influence their work.

False

The creative process used in art is fundamentally different from the process of science.

False

The main reason scientists join societies is to receive money for research.

False

There are no examples of scientific research prior to the Scientific Revolution in Europe in the 16th century

False

There are no examples of scientific research prior to the Scientific Revolution in Europe in the 16th century.

False

Unlike misconduct, mistakes never get discovered in science.

False

You answered 8 of 8 questions attempted correctly. An experimental approach to problem solving is only useful in scientific research laboratories.

False

Physical "ball-and-stick" models are often used to represent molecules, even though scientists agree that atoms are not like billiard balls and bonds are not like sticks holding them together. Why do you think these are still used?

For some purposes, such as visualizing spatial relationships, the model is useful.

Why is G.K. Gilbert's drawing, shown below, considered a hypothesis about the formation of the Henry Mountains?

Gilbert summarized his data and suggested a cause for mountain formation in the sketch.

Vilhelm Bjerknes saw "no intractable mathematical difficulties" with predicting the weather, and many numerical models have been built since he wrote those words in 1904. Even with the best of those models, our weather predictions are still frequently incorrect. Why?

The weather system is very complex: Small changes in variables can have big effects.

When Richard Doll and Austin Hill published their research in 1950, they stated that "smoking is a factor, and an important factor, in the production of carcinoma of the lung." Why couldn't they simply say that smoking causes lung cancer?

There are other, uncontrollable variables that contribute to the disease.

The Delta smelt is a minnow (a type of fish) that lives only in the estuary of the Sacramento River delta in California. The delta is also a source of drinking and agricultural water for California residents, and intake valves for pipelines are located near the breeding waters of the smelt. Scientists have determined that the smelt populations are in rapid decline and that they need more freshwater than is currently available to them after drinking water is pumped out. Nearby farmers argue that they need more freshwater to grow their crops, and regulatory agencies have faced criticisms from all sides on their management of the water resources. This a scientific controversy.

false

A valid argument in a scientific controversy must be based on

explanations of all of the available data.

A well-designed experiment to investigate the effect of increased CO2 concentration on plant growth could include:

exposing 50 plants to high CO2 concentration and 50 plants to normal CO2 concentration.

The research papers published by Jan Hendrik Schön were eventually retracted because he had been found to have

fabricated much of his data

Controversies are rare in science.

false

In order to use description as a research method, a scientist must manipulate variables.

false

While speaking to a colleague, a scientist makes the following statement: "I propose that Bald Eagle eggs in northern Maine will have thinner shells than those from birds in southern Alaska due to increased levels of pesticides in the water." This statement is a

hypothesis

Research institutions are primarily interested in

incorporating new research with teaching.

The research that led to the adoption of the international agreement known as the Montreal Protocol, which limited the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs),

involved several different methods

The research that led to the adoption of the international agreement known as the Montreal Protocol, which limited the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs),

involved several different methods.

Complete the following sentence so that it is correct: Scientific theories are based on

large amounts of data collected over time.

Which of the following is NOT a component of all scientific research methods?

manipulating variables

Reporting sources of funding of scientific research is important because

of the potential bias that funding sources may exert on research reports.

A key aspect of the experimental method is that

one or more variables are consciously manipulated.

The principal function of scientific societies is to

promote the exchange of ideas.

Scientists contribute to scientific controversies primarily by

publishing in the peer-reviewed literature.

Researchers conducting comparative studies use sample groups that are as similar to one another as possible. This is because they want to

reduce the number of variables affecting the results.

The difference between a retrospective study and a prospective study is

retrospective studies look at historical events, while prospective studies look at events from the present forward.

In order to make progress in the study of genetics, scientists tended to choose an organism to research that was

simple, and could provide the most straightforward case.

In order to provide realistic output, scientific models

simplify the real world where appropriate.

In order to be useful in scientific research, descriptions must be

systematic and rigorous.

Having a mentor when you are just starting out in research is helpful because mentors

teach you aspects of research that can't be taught in a classroom.

Scientists have been able to use historical descriptions of events like the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius to conduct scientific investigations because

the descriptions are detailed and systematic, even if they weren't made by scientists.

In addition to assuring the safety of human subjects, scientific ethics help assure

the reliability of scientific research results.

The comparative method can be used to answer questions about

the side effects of a chemical or drug. the effects of man-made pollutants on the environment. the likelihood that a suspect's DNA matches that left at a crime scene. all of the choices are correct

Taking measurements of CO2 concentrations in an ice core from Antarctica is considered descriptive scientific research because

there was no manipulation of variables.

Most scientists receive funding to do their research from funding institutions. Which of the following statements BEST describes the process by which they receive these funds?

through a competitive proposal process: the best proposals are funded

Scientific theories can be tested.

true

The Nuremberg Code

was developed in response to war crimes by Nazi scientists. requires that individuals willingly consent to any research conducted on them. requires that scientists avoid intentionally inflicting harm. All of the other choices are correct.

Scientists "tell stories" in the sense that they

write scientific papers that simplify the process they went through.

The problem with the traditional presentation of the scientific method as seen below is that

!scientific research rarely proceeds in a neat, linear fashion. !experimentation is not the only research method available to scientists. !not all research studies begin with a question. ***All of the other choices are correct.

The problem with the traditional presentation of the scientific method as seen below is that

All of the other choices are correct.

The first step a scientist takes in developing a model - conceptual, numerical, or physical - is to define the system that the model is meant to represent. Which of the following statements best describes a system?

A system has boundaries defined by a researcher.

Being a scientist often involves distinguishing between testable and non-testable questions. Based on what you've read here, which of the following do you think is a good definition of a "testable question"?

A testable question can be addressed through the scientific process, which includes creativity and logic.

What is the best definition of the term "theory," as it is used in science?

A theory is a comprehensive set of ideas explaining a phenomenon in nature.

A medical researcher is working to find a cure for diabetes. In the process of her research, she has identified a compound that she thinks might reduce the amount of insulin a diabetic patient needs each day. Her research team had recruited 300 test subjects and divided them into six groups: 1A, 1B, 1C, and 2A, 2B, 2C. None of the individuals will know what medications they are receiving. Which of the following groups is the control? Group 1A - receives 25 mg of the new compound along with their regular amount of insulin Group 1B - receives 25 mg of the new compound along with half of their regular amount of insulin Group 1C - receives 25 mg of the new compound along with a quarter of their regular amount of insulin Group 2A - receives 25 mg of a placebo and their regular amount of insulin Group 2B - receives 25 mg of a placebo and half of their regular amount of insulin Group 2C - receives 25 mg of a placebo and a quarter of their regular amount of insulin

Group 2A

Federal law in the United States requires that institutions that receive funding from the government maintain a(n) _________ to review all research involving human subjects before it is initiated.

Institutional Review Board

Why do scientists develop a hypothesis before conducting research?

It helps to predict outcomes and define the parameters of the research.

How was the Royal Society of London different from earlier scientific societies?

Its members did research at their meetings.

Which statement below correctly identifies the difference between laws and theories?

Laws describe phenomena, while theories explain why phenomena exist.

Why is climate particularly well suited to research using modeling rather than other methods like experimentation?

Modeling allows us to study the effect of changes in a complex system.

In order for a scientific controversy to be resolved, which of the following is most likely to occur?

Multiple lines of evidence favor one side.

Which funding body would most likely fund research into discovering genes that could increase the chances of breast cancer?

National Cancer Foundation

Why are scientific theories an important part of research and understanding?

Scientific theories allow scientists to make predictions.

Choose the sentence below that is a correct description of scientific theory.

Scientific theories in one discipline can influence theories in other disciplines.

Scientists are often concerned with the "big questions" in their field, such as Can we mitigate the effects of climate change? or What causes heart disease? or How important is a particular species to our ecosystem? Which of the following statements best represents how scientists tackle these big questions?

Scientists design studies that address a portion of the big question that can be addressed.

Scientific ethics are commonly described as covering which of the following two categories?

Standards of methods and process, and standards of topics.

Description is often used in conjunction with other research methods, including experimentation, modeling, and comparison. Why is this the case?

Systematic observations are necessary in all research methods.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the scientific view of baboon culture changed from male-dominated to one in which females provide social stability. What motivated this shift?

The contributions and diverse views of female anthropologists.

In the same experiment described above, what is the independent variable?

The new compound.

What is the dependent variable in the experiment?

The reaction of the patient.

Many large mammals went extinct in North America around 11,000 years ago, including the woolly mammoth and the mastodon. Based on archaeological evidence, some scientists have argued that hunting by humans, who were relatively new to the continent, caused the extinctions. Based on climate data, other scientists have argued that sudden warming that led to the melting of the ice sheets was the primary cause of the extinctions. In a number of recent studies, scientists have reported sequencing the woolly mammoth genome and running detailed climate models for the time period around the extinction, and new evidence is being discovered. This is a scientific controversy.

True

One principal difference between comparative research and experimental research is that the comparative researcher does not subject a group to a treatment, but rather observes a group that either by choice or circumstance has been subject to a treatment.

True

The majority of scientists behave ethically.

True

In Novum Organum, Francis Bacon wrote about

a method of reasoning that involves a repeating cycle of observation, hypothesis, and experimentation.

Which of the following things would have the strongest influence on the direction of scientific research?

a new program that provide grants from a funding institution

In the image that follows of Louis Pasteur's flasks, Figure 26 in the lower right corner represents

a positive control.

A descriptive study of the impacts of hurricane-force winds on a new home would include

a survey of a group of homes following a recent hurricane.

The ability to be creative in any field is enhanced by

background knowledge and experience.

Why did the World Meteorological Organization appoint an expert panel to write a paper about tropical cyclones?

because so much new research had been done, it needed to be summarized

While scientists sometimes make mistakes, these mistakes are usually identified by

colleagues when they replicate a research study.

Science has been described as "the art of the soluble." This means that science is about

determining which questions are solvable.

Hydrologists have developed a computer-based model to simulate flow of a contaminant through a groundwater reservoir. In order to develop their model, the hydrologists most likely

did all of the things listed as answers.

Adam Sylvester's research on cortical bone size was partly motivated by his

experiences rock climbing.