Biology Chapter 1 "The Process of science"

Placebo

A fake treatment given to control groups to mimic the experience of the experimental groups

Scientific Method

A method of research with defined steps that included experiments and careful observation

Which of these is NOT an example of recall bias?

A patient with brain cancer may be more likely to recall childhood memories

Scientific Theory

A widely accepted, thoroughly tested and confirmed explanation for a set of observation or phenomena; the foundation of scientific knowledge

Descriptive Science

Aims to observe, explore, and discover

Controlled Experiment

An experiment that is designed to compare an experimental group with a control group

Hypothesis-based science

Begins with a specific question or problem and a potential answer or solution that can be tested

Which statement is a pitfall for making decisions from a single epidemiological study?

Complexity of a disease makes it unlikely that every variable can be controlled for, small sample sizes can influence the accuracy of results, and the specific population in the study may not be representative of the general population

Scientific Law

Describes how elements of nature will behave under certain specific conditions, often expressed in mathematical formulas, less common in biology than in other scientific disciplines.

In a study conducted by scientist at the National Toxicology Program, the control group was composed of animals that:

Did not receive radiation, but were treated the same as the experimental group

Theories

Germ theory Cell theory

When the U.S. surgeon general issued his 1964 report on the dangers of smoking he:

Had a large body of evidence backing him up

The microorganism Plasmodium is the cause of malaria

Hypothesis: This is a proposed explanation that can be tested

Science

Knowledge about the natural world

Findings of scientific studies are often____ when they move from the lab to the media

Lost in translation

hypothesis testing

Must be testable, must be falsifiable

A team of journalist have decided to take a survey asking a group of 100 people whether herbal supplements help to alleviate symptoms of depression. The survey asks participants about heir own personal experiences with herbal supplements. Would the results of the journalists'' survey be consider "reliable" and prove that herbal supplements either alleviate or have no effect on symptoms of depression?

No, the survey carried about these journalists relies on anecdotal evidence, and as such would not be considered "reliable" when evaluating hypothesis regarding herbal supplements and depression

A study drew some conclusions about the health benefits of drinking coffee. Would the same health benefits be expected for people who drink caffeinated tea?

Not necessarily; coffee and tea contain many different compounds, and it could depend on the study population

A group of friends are watching a televised debate on evolution. One of the participates repeatedly states that evolution is a "scientific theory", and as such is unsupported by any evidence. What is wrong with this statement?

Nothing, the statement is correct. Scientific theories are rigorously supported by numerous studies, and are hypothesis that (to date) have never been disapproved

Hypothesis Testing Steps

Observation, question, hypothesis, prediction, experiment, and results

Epidemiological and animal studies reported in a peer-reviewed journal , which clearly demonstrates that the chemicals in tobacco smoke can cause tumors, are examples of?

Scientific evidence

Spiders infest Guam after the native birds disappear. If snakes eat birds and birds eat spiders. What do the snakes eat since the birds are gone?

Spider

To understand a study properly, it is often necessary to look at how the study was designed and to analyze the data oneself. True or False?

True

hypothesis that are inconsistent with experimental data are rejected?

True

Diseases are caused by microorganisms

Theory: This is a much broader idea that is already supported by a large body of evidence

Cell phone radiation is a part of the electromagnetic spectrum. True or False?

True

Epidemiological and animal studies clearly showed that chemicals in tobacco smoke could cause tumors. True or False?

True

In the study conducted by scientists at the National Toxicology Program, control rats did not live as long as experimental rats, which made the results hard to interpret. True or False?

True

Most scientific endeavors combine approaches

True

Science is an ongoing process in which scientist conduct carefully designed studies to answer questions or test hypothesis. True or False?

True

The experimental and control groups differ only in the one factor the experiment is designed to test

True

A randomized clinical trial would NOT require which of he following ?

a correlation to be revealed before the trial

A correlation in a scientific study indicates?

a possible link between two variables

Hypothesis

a proposed explanation for a set of observations (an idea on trial)

In which type of study would one have the most confidence?

a randomized clinical trial with 10,000 rats

Cell Theory

cells are the basic unit of structure in every living thing

In an epidemiological study with human subjects, the relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable always suggest that:

correlation does not always equal causation

Types of scientific studies

descriptive, and hypothesis-based science

Based on a thorough literature review, a researcher has found studies supporting correlations between drug use and neurological diseases, weight pain, and brain cancer. Based on these correlations, what can he conclude regarding drug use?

drug use may cause neurological diseases, weight gain, and brain cancer

A study was conducted to investigate if the use of SPF30 sunscreen lotion is a more effective skin cancer prevention measure than SPF15 sunscreen. The study involved comparing a group of roofers who has developed skin cancer to a group of roofers without skin cancer and assessing their use of sunscreen. This is an example of a?

epidemiological case-control study

A researcher is setting up a randomized clinical trial to evaluate the effect of acetaminophen on liver function, and designates a control group of subjects and experimental group of subjects. What could interfere with the results or completion of this study?

members of the experimental group failing to take acetaminophen according to the experimental regimen

Germ Theory

microorganisms are the cause of many diseases

A statistically significant result from a scientific study is indicative of:

nonrandom result

Melanoma rates are higher in areas of the United States with a high number of sunny days each year. Melanoma rates have been observed to decrease in some countries in response to public health campaigns that promote regular use of sunscreen. Other types of skin cancer, that are similar to melanoma, are linked to UV exposure. Based on this information, what is the MOST COMPREHENSIVE hypothesis that you can generate?

people who use sunscreen have lower rates of skin cancer in general

A scientist should communicate research results by ________, in order to have them carry the most weight

publishing them in peer-reviewed journal

In a case-control study on the effects of smoking o lung cancer development, the case would be ____ and the controls would be _______.

smokers; nonsmokers

Evolutionary Theory

the change over time in the proportion of individual organisms differing in one or more inherited traits

Correlation = Causation

the mistake that suggests that because two variables are correlated that one caused the other to happen

Which of these is an everyday theory?

theory that wearing bright clothing improves one's mood

List these forms of radiation in order from highest energy to lowest energy

x-rays, ultraviolet(UV), microwaves, and radio waves