understanding the nature of science

- a clinical trial is an investigation in which a strategy, treatment or device is tested to see whether it is safe and effective for humans. - in clinical trials are especially important in testing new medications, vaccines and procedures that could treat disease. in clinical trials, humans (healthy and/or sick) volunteer to have the treatment tested on them.

clinical trial

- a controlled experiment is an investigation in which a scientist s answer a testable question using the scientific method. - the scientist asks a question, makes observations, collects data, and forms a conclusion. - the experimenter compares his results to a control.

controlled experiment

- a double-blind study is an investigations that reduces or eliminates bias. it is often used to determine the effects of a medication or procedure. - in a double-blind study, the experimenter and the test subjects do not know who is receiving the treatment. in other words the experimenter and test subjects are "blinded" - test subjects receive the treatment or receive a placebo ( a substance that has no effect.) those that receive a placebo make up control group.

double-blind study

ohm's law is used to define the relationship between voltage, current and resistance in an electric circuit. a newtons three laws of motion define relationship between a body, forces acting upon that body and the body's motion that results from those forces acting on it.

examples

science can tell you how to genetically engineer organisms with specific traits, but it does not tell you if it should be done

for example

fraud and plagiarism are serious offenses and can get a scientist in big trouble.

fraud and plagiarism

people are exposed to different messages about science in the media. messages about science are presented on the tv, radio, the internet and in magazines.

how are people exposed to different messages?

scientist perform investigations in an orderly and systematic way. we call this research.

how do scientist perform investigations

a hypothesis can be proven or disproven with experiment. when proven correct repeatedly, it can become a theory.

how is a hypothesis proven or disproven?

a law is formed when no evidence can prove it wrong.

how is a law formed?

scientific knowledge is gained through research. research provides evidence or proof or against an idea.

how is scientific knowledge gained?

the scientific method is important because it directs how to generate evidence upon which we can build scientific knowledge.

how is the scientific method important?

experiments must be conducted in a specific way in order to generate valid data is reliable- it can be trusted to be honest and accurate.

how must experiments be conducted?

science can provide information for someone to make a judgment but it does inherently make evaluations or assessments.

information that science provides

its important to be able to scrutinize messages about science presented in the media. science in the media is not put through a peer review. therefore, it can be tainted with errors, biases, ulterior motives and distortions of the truth.

it is important to be able to do?

- a research study in which a scientist combines results from multiple primary research investigations and synthesizes summaries and conclusions based on those studies. it is like an overview of multiple primary research investigations.

meta-analysis

assumptions and opinions are ideas that are not backed by facts and/or evidence. they may be true, but there is no proof to prove that they are correct.

assumptions and opinions are ideas

- a case study is a report and patient or animal. - it is a summary of observations of the patient or animal. - case studies are important to medical education. doctors can use case studies to report a patient's disease. they report the patient's symptoms. how the patient was diagnosed and treated and how the patients disease progress or resolved

case study

involves the collection of original data through the conduction of an experiment. study or survey.

primary research

science is cumulative. the scientific ideas today are built upon ideas from many years ago. many people from different nations, societies and cultures over the years have contributed to understanding the natural world through research and investigations.

science as a process

it is also a process of discovery. we discover new things the natural world by conducting investigations. investigating involves testing questions, making observations, and analyzing data.

science is not just a body of kowlegde

scientists generate scientific ideas. they make different kinds of statements and claims about the natural world.

scientific ideas

only scientific information presented in science journals is passed through a peer review. science reported in other texts or outlets is not always scrutinized by a peer review

scientific information

scientists who do not adhere to ethics can get in a lot of trouble. they can also lose the trust of the public, who depend on the scientific community to be honest when conducting investigations and presenting information.

scientists have to do what?

scientist can only make truthful and objective while conducting investigations and research.

scientists only make what while conducting research?

involves the collection, summary or synthesis of existing data generated by scientists that performed primary investigations.

secondary research

however, there are some things that science connect explain or do. these things are called limitations. limitations are restrictions for things that are not possible or allowed.

some things science cannot explain or do.

an experiment answers a testable question. a testable question is a special type of science question. example- does fertilizer helps plants grow bigger flowers? non-example - how do rockets work?

step 1: ask a question

a hypothesis is an educated guess or prediction. it is a thoughtful answer to a testable question. a hypothesis is based on observations, facts, evidence and/or findings from previous experiments. a hypothesis is tested with an experiment and proved to be true or false.

step 2: form a hypothesis

a controlled experiment is an experiment in which only one variable is changed.

step 3: perform a controlled experiment

data is in formation collected during an investigation. it includes observations. you make with your senses ( what you see, hear, smell, feel, etc.) and measurements you make with tools such as thermometers, rules and scales.

step 4: collect and analyze data

a conclusion is the end of the experiment. it wraps-up and summaries all the findings of the experiment.

step 5: form a conclusion

- a survey is a study of a target audience - in a survey, data is collected about individuals in a geographical area or in particular population. - In other surveys, an experimenter collects information from humans using questionnaires, in these surveys humans answer questions and the experimenter analyzes and responses polls market research surveys and censuses are types of surveys

survey

- an evaluation or assessment of a primary research investigation, in a systematic review, a scientist collects and critically analyzed ( or critiques) those investigations.

systematic review

1. controlled experiment 2. case study 3. double-blind study 4. clinical trial 5. survey

there are different types of primary research

1. ask a question 2. form a conclusion 3. perform a controlled experiment 4. collect/analyze data 5. form a conclusion

there are five steps to the scientific method

1. scientific theory 2. scientific laws 3. hypothesis

there are three kinds of scientific ideas

there are debates over some of the ethical standards of science. debates occur when the ethical views of the science community conflict with the ethical views of individuals.

what are debates

1. the investigation is controlled 2. the investigation has a large sample size 3. the investigation has multiple trials 4. the investigation is free of assumptions and bias 5. the investigation is passed through a peer review

what are five things that improve the validity and reliability of an investigations results?

some of the scientific ideas are based on facts and evidence, some have yet to be backed by evidence generated from experiments and some are completely untrue, based only by personal beliefs and opinions.

what are scientific ideas based on?

1. what is publishing the information? 2. what is the source of the information? 3. is the accurately portrayed 4. do experts support the information 5. how strong is the evidence 6. can you get more information

what are six questions you should ask when you encounter science in the media?

primary research secondary research

what are the two types of scientific research?

theories are accepted to be correct explanations of things in the natural world, but they can be refuted if new evidence is discovered and proves the theory wrong.

what are theories?

an informed consumer can evaluate science-related messages in the media for trustworthy hidden agendas and misrepresentations.

what can a informed consumer do?

-the way an experiment is conducted -the results of an experiment - the interpretation of the results

what can assumptions and bias influence?

the conclusion provides an answer to the question ( asked in step 1) and discusses whether the results support or refute your hypothesis.

what do conclusions provide?

some of the debates involve the use of animals in experiments, the manipulation of genetic information and developing stem cells.

what do debates involve

limitations to science are important because they prompt us to ask more questions and they spur on important debates and discussions about how to use scientific information.

what do limitations do?

scientists use the scientific method to perform experiments.

what do science use to perform experiments?

1. scientists should provide honest and accurate data. they believe it is wrong to make up data or exaggerate results. 2. scientists should provide all the information obtained from an investigation. they believe it was wrong to selectively report findings or to intentionally promote a false idea or hidden agenda.

what do scientists agree on when conducting investigations and presenting research?

an opinion is a personal view or judgement about something in the natural world.

what is an opinion

an assumption is a belief that something is true. an assumption can lead to a bias.

what is assumptions?

a bias is a judgment based on an opinion, which may or may not be true.

what is bias?

data generated by investigations is evidence that supports or refutes ideas about the natural world.

what is data generated by investigations?

scientist adhere to a code of conduct and obey certain ethics. ethics are principles or ideas that determine what is right and wrong.

what is ethics?

scientist who lie about their work commit fraud. fraud is deception or misrepresentation of the truth.

what is fraud?

scientists who do not properly cite other scientists' work commit plagiarism. plagiarism is passing off someone else's ideas as your own.

what is plagiarism?

science is knowledge about the natural world.

what is science?

scientific knowledge is always changing. what we thought was fact 100 years may not be true.

what is scientific knowledge always doing?

the supernatural deals with things outside the natural world and include ideas related to faith and spiritually

what is supernatural

the best way to collect data is with a data table. scientists use graphs to visualize data. graphs make it easier to analyze and interpret data.

what is the best way to collect data?

science cannot confirm nor reject the existence of god(s) and other beliefs related to faith and spirituality

what is the difference between supernatural and science

the supernatural and science are two completely separate things. supernatural ideas entities and forces are beyond scientific understanding.

what is the difference between supernatural and science

the purpose of a peer review is to provide a system of checks and balances in science. a peer review tries to ensure that scientific information presented to the public is valid and backed by valid and accurate evidence.

what is the purpose of a peer review?

the scientific method is a systematic procedure that directs how to conduct a scientific experiment.

what is the scientific method?

when we develop and use new tools and technology we conduct better investigations. better investigations improve and expand our understanding of the natural world. we learn new information about how the world works.

what makes investigations better?

scientist must use persistence, precision, reasoning, logic imagination and creativity to carry out investigations and make discovery about the natural world.

what must scientist use?

an experimenter should be objective and open-minded when performing an experiment. the experimenter can misinterpret or misjudge information if he allows personal beliefs or opinions to cloud the true meaning of results.

what should a experimenter be?

anyone- regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, religion, or socioeconomic background can be a scientist.

who can be a scientist?

a controlled investigation is an experiment where only one variable is changed and all other factors in the experiment are kept constant (or controlled)

the investigation is controlled

the sample size is he number of individuals used in the experiment.

the investigations has a large sample size and multiple trials

3. scientists should acknowledge where information and ideas come from using citations. a citation is a reference to a scientist's work or the organization from where information was first generated. 4. scientists should adhere to laws and health and safety rules when conducting investigations. they consider the welfare of animals when using animals as test subjects. they also follow strict rules and guidelines when using human as test subjects .

what do scientists agree on when conducting investigations and presenting research?

scientists care about how their scientific discoveries are used. however, their scientific discoveries cannot actually dictate what should be done with the information provided by those discoveries.

what do scientists care about?

scientists carry out investigations to explain things in the natural world. they conduct investigations by performing experiments.

what do scientists do during investigations?

In a controlled experiment, you measure the effects of changing this variable. all other variables in the experiment are kept constant or the same. in other words, you control these variables. controlling variables is important because you want to make sure nothing else is causing changes in the variable you are measuring.

what do you do in a controlled experiment?

the conclusion also explains mistakes in he experiment and suggests how the experiment could be performed better.

what does a conclusion explain?

a peer review tries to identify fraud and plagiarism before the results of a scientific investigation reach the public.

what does peer review identify ?

research involves making observations, asking questions, and/or gathering data in order to establish facts and draw conclusions about the natural world.

what does research involve?

science helps explain phenomena and events in the natural world, such as what makes a living thing alive, why we have seasons and how gravity keeps earth and other planets in orbit about the sun.

what does science explain?

science provides us with the vast amounts of information but it does not tell us what to do with the information. society has diverse views on how scientific knowledge should be used.this is what sparks most of the heated scientific debates.

what does science provide

science is very powerful. it provides an understanding of how certain things work in the natural world.

what does science provide?

the scientific method directs how to test a question, make observations, collect data and form a conclusion.

what does the scientific method direct?

scientist make observations to ask questions. they test questions with a scientific experiment. a scientist also conducts experiments to determine if an inference is correct.

what else do scientist do during investigations?

by changing only one variable, you are able to see how one specific factor has an effect on the experiment. if you change multiple variables, you cannot be sure what factor is actually producing the results of your experiment.

what happens when you change only one variable?

a prediction about the natural world. it is based on intelligent and thoughtful thinking, observations of the natural world and/or previous experiments.

what is a hypothesis?

an individual who understands information presented in science messages (such as those in advertisements and can make educated decisions about the information.)

what is a informed consumer?

a judgment is an evaluation or assessment

what is a judgment

a moral judgment tells you if something is good or bad.

what is a moral judgment

a peer review is a group of scientists that analyze scientific experiments. the analyze the way experiments are carried out. they look for sources of error, faulty reasoning and biases.

what is a peer review?

a description of something in the natural world. it is based on facts or indisputable observations of the natural world.

what is a scientific laws?

an explanation of something in the natural world. it is based on large amounts of evidence obtained of scientific experiments.

what is a scientific theory?

a scientist is someone who uses science to explain things in the natural world.

what is a scientist?

a trial is a single test of the experiment. an experiment. an experiment with multiple trials has replicated( usually several times) tests of the same experiment. repeated trials and a large sample size provide more accurate data. they reduce the chance of errors or mistakes in the experiments, thus producing more valid results.

what is a trial?

a factor or condition in an experiment.

what is a variable?

an aesthetic judgment tells you if something is beautiful or not.

what is an aesthetic judgment

an assumption is an idea that is thought to be true. an assumption may or may not be true. because it is not backed by evidence or facts, it is a substantiated claim about the natural world.

what is an assumption