Topic 0 - Science Inquiry Skills

Name the 8 Science Inquiry Skills

1. Biopsychosocial model

2. Scientific methods

3. Investigation design

4. Data collection and presentation

5. Using statistics for analysis

6. Evaluation of procedures of data

7. Drawing conclusions and making predictions

8. Ethical guidelines

What is the BPS model?

An analytical approach which breaks down a concept/condition into biological, psychological, and social factors.

What are the steps of an investigation?

• Deconstruct - identify research area and aim

• Deconstruct - background research

• Design - formulate research questions and hypothesis

• Design - create method

• Collect, present, summarise, and analyse data

• Evaluate procedure and data

• Draw conclusions → link to hypothesis

• Report findings

What is the IV?

What is manipulated and changed (i.e. caffeine intake)

What is the DV?

Measured and observed (i.e. time)

What does it mean to operationalise variables?

Defining broad/abstract concepts in more measurable detail

What other variables may influence an investigation?

Constant, extraneous, participant, situational, confounding and demand characteristics.

What are confounding variables?

When an extraneous variables ends up directly impacting the data.

What are demand characteristics?

When a participant acts in a way they believe is expected of them by society or the experimenter (social desirability)

What are the types of sampling?

• Random sampling

• Convenience sampling

• Stratified sampling

What is convenience sampling?

Sourcing a sample from the student body of the school the researcher is doing the experiment as they are most accessible

What is stratified sampling?

When the population is broken into smaller, more specific groups and samples are picked from each (the most representative and diverse method)

What are 4 factors of an experimental design?

• Done in a fabricated environment

• Has a control group which does not receive treatment - provides a standardised comparison

• Involves pre and post testing

• Must have a hypothesis

What are the advantages of an experimental design?

Replicable, shows clear cause-and-effect relationships, can control more extraneous variables

What are the disadvantages of an experimental design?

Ethicality, low external validity (may not represent a full population)

What are 3 factors of an observational design?

• Done in natural settings

• IV is not manipulated

• Groups are not randomly allocated

What are 3 styles of qualitative investigation?

Focus groups, Delphi technique, interviews

What is a focus group and what are its advantages/disadvantages?

Usually 6-10 people who are not experts in the field are interviewed with a facilitator guides and note takes the conversation

• Advantages: elaborate responses, easy to organise, ideas can be built up

  Disadvantages: no concrete results regarding cause-and-effect, hard to replicate, lack of control, observer bias

What is the Delphi technique and what are its advantages/disadvantages?

Questionnaires given to experts

• Advantages: cost-effective, informed responses, less likely to be biased

  Disadvantages: possibly weak responses, high drop out rate

What are interviews and what are its advantages/disadvantages?

Structured, usually one-on-one Q&As

• Advantages: one-on-one, tailored/specific questions, reduced deviation in structure

  Disadvantage: high bias in responses, questions, and interpretation

What is qualitative data?

Words, sentences, and descriptions which provide an in-depth idea into someone’s thoughts, opinions, and beliefs (very biased)

What is quantitative data?

Numbers/statistics which are easily organised/summarised but restrictive in depth

What is objective quantitative data?

Verifiable and statistical data which can be collected via measurement tools like brainwave scanners, BPM machines, etc

What is subjective quantitative data?

Self-reported statistics which can be collected via observation, interviews, questionnaires, etc

What is a frequency distribution table used for?

To summarise data into groups.

What is a histogram used for?

Used when dealing with continuous variables.

What is a column/bar graph used for?

To compare different experimental groups

What is a line graph used for?

To show the relationship between IV and DV when both are numerical and the DV is a function of the IV (meaning that the value of the DV is determined by that of the IV following a mathematical rule)

What is a pie chart used for?

To show data in proportion to the whole dataset.

What are scatter plots used for?

To show the relationship between the IV and DV (a trendline shows a strong correlation)

What are the measures of central tendency?

Mean, median, mode

What are the measures of dispersion/variation?

Standard deviation, variance, range

What is standard deviation?

A representation of each data’s variation from the mean (small SD = little variation, large SD = high variation, an SD beyond +/-2 is not reliable)

What are 5 sources of uncertainty/critique?

1. Extraneous variables

2. Sample size and representation

3. Research method - error, bias, etc

4. Reliability → measures of consistency

5. Validity → whether data measures the intended purpose

What is internal validity?

How well the study showed a cause-and-effect relationship and how successful the overall experiment was

What is external validity?

The extent to which the results can be generalised to an entire population

What is ecological validity?

The extent to which results can be generalised to other situations/circumstances

What is ethnocentrism?

The tendency to use your own culture as the standard or focus on a dominant culture

What are the 7 ethical considerations?

1. Voluntary participation

2. Informed consent

3. Right to withdraw

4. Do no harm

5. Debrief

6. Deception

7. Confidentiality/Privacy

What are the SHE concepts?

Communication & Collaboration, Development, Influence, Application & Limitations

What is the PECO question model?

Population, Exposure, Comparison, Outcome