Mod 02 - Scientific Inquiry and Experimental Design

Scientific Literacy

Having some understanding of scientific knowledge and the ability to analyze explanations and propose ways to investigate questions about natural phenomena.

Analyzing

Separating or breaking a whole into parts to discover their nature, function, and relationships.

Applying Standards

Judging according to established personal, professional, or social rules or criteria.

Discriminating

Recognizing differences and similarities among things or situations and distinguishing carefully as to category or rank.

Information Seeking

Searching for evidence, fact, or knowledge by identifying relevant sources and gathering objective, subjective, historical, and current data from those sources.

Logical Reasoning

Drawing inferences or conclusions that are supported in or justified by evidence.

Predicting

Envisioning a plan and its consequences.

Health Literacy

Effective communication with a healthcare provider before, during, and after an appointment, as well as an organization's ability to equitably enable information seekers to find, understand, and use information to inform their actions.

Scientific Inquiry

Methods by which scientific questions are answered.

Scientific Method

Observe → Question → Hypothesis → Experiment → Analysis → Conclusion.

Independent Variable

The thing you are testing in an experiment. Sometimes called the manipulated variable since you change it during the experiment.

Dependent Variable

The thing you are measuring. Also called the responding variable.

Confounding Variables

Factors, other than the independent variable, that impact the dependent variable.

Limitations of a Study

Describe the characteristics of a study design that limit the usefulness or generalizability of findings to a general population.

Reliability

The measure of repeatability or consistency of a test or an observation. The quality or state of being trustworthy.

The extent to which an experiment, test, or measuring procedure yields the same result on repeated trials (Webster Dictionary).

Validity

Indicates that a test measures what it is supposed to measure; in other words, is the test score a 'truthful' score - does the assessment instrument really test what it claims to be testing.

CRAP Test

Currency, Reliability, Authority, and Purpose used to evaluate news articles.

Bias

Prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.

Observational Study

Observe participants or patients to collect data.

Clinical Trial

Treatment being tested to evaluate its effectiveness.

What is considered the 'gold standard' in measuring an intervention's effectiveness?

Randomized Clinical Trial

Why are Randomized Clinical Trials considered the 'gold standard'?

They can determine cause and effect.

What is a potential ethical concern with Randomized Clinical Trials?

It's not always ethical to withhold treatment from certain groups.

Longitudinal Study

Allows researchers to learn about a specific group of people over long periods of time.

Cohort Study

Selects participants based on a certain criterion, such as birthplace or exposure.

Retrospective Study

Examines participants' historical information such as medical records.

Systematic Reviews

Do not generate original research; rather, they are an attempt to collect and analyze all evidence that answers a research question.

Transforming Knowledge

Changing or converting the condition, nature, form or function of concepts among contexts

What are the Critical Thinking Skills (for Life and Physical Sciences Courses)?

Analyzing

Applying Standards

'Discriminating

Information Seeking

Logical Reasoning

Predicting

Transforming Knowledge

What is the scientific inquiry process?

Examining books and other sources to see what is already known

Making observations

Posing questions

Reviewing what is already known in light of experimental evidence

Interviewing a trusted source

Planning investigations

How should we evaluate news articles?

Access to original source?

Reliance on a single study (or two)?

Quick and confusing generalizations?

CRAP Test