ANTHROP 1101 — Set 2: Science, Poor Science, & Pseudoscience (Week 3)

[Wk 3] Science:
A. As a body of knowledge, cannot be revised if new information strongly challenges its accepted principles.
B. As a body of knowledge, may undergo revision as new data come to light.
C. As a method, entails formulating, testing, and evaluating hypotheses and theories.
D. None of the above are true.
E. Both A and C are true.
F. Both B and C are true.

F — Both B and C are true. Science is a body of knowledge that changes with new data and a method of testing hypotheses. (Midterm Review Quiz)

[Wk 3] Science is described as "not timeless." This means that:
A. Scientific findings expire after a set number of years
B. Scientific understanding changes as new evidence and methods emerge
C. Science cannot study events from the distant past
D. Scientific facts depend on personal opinion

B — Scientific understanding changes as new evidence and methods emerge. Conclusions are revised when new data challenge them.

[Wk 3] Science is both a body of knowledge and a method of ________.

inquiry

[Wk 3] All of the following are characteristics associated with science, except:
A. It is systematic and rigorous
B. It strives for objectivity
C. It is composed of a community of scientists
D. It accepts conclusions based on the authority of one expert

D — It accepts conclusions based on the authority of one expert. Belief in authority is a criterion of pseudoscience; science relies on evidence checked by a community.

[Wk 3] A lab reports that a new method dates bone accurately. Three independent labs follow the same procedure and get the same results. This shows the finding is:
A. Falsifiable
B. Replicable
C. Timeless
D. Correlational

B — Replicable. When other researchers repeat a study and get the same result, the community can catch errors or fraud.

[Wk 3] Which sequence correctly shows the first steps of the scientific method?
A. Hypothesis → Observation → Question
B. Observation → Question → Hypothesis
C. Question → Experiment → Observation
D. Theory → Hypothesis → Observation

B — Observation → Question → Hypothesis. The hypothesis is then tested through data collection, data analysis, and testing.

[Wk 3] Which hypothesis is NOT falsifiable?
A. Bean seeds given water sprout more often than seeds given no water
B. An undetectable energy that no instrument can measure guides human history
C. People who sleep less score lower on memory tests
D. Taller people have longer femurs on average

B — An undetectable energy guides human history. A falsifiable hypothesis is testable, meaning some possible evidence could prove it wrong. No evidence could ever test this one.

[Wk 3] When the data do not support a hypothesis, scientists "fail to reject" the hypothesis.

False — When the data do not support a hypothesis, scientists reject it. When the data support it, they fail to reject it.

[Wk 3] Ten bean seeds are planted in each of two identical pots. One pot is watered and one is not, and the fraction of seeds that sprout is recorded. The fraction of seeds that sprout is the:
A. Independent variable
B. Dependent variable
C. Control group
D. Confounding variable

B — Dependent variable. It is the outcome being measured. The amount of water is the independent variable the researcher changes.

[Wk 3] In an experiment, the group that does not receive the treatment (for example, the pot given no water) is the ________ group.

control

[Wk 3] A study finds that people with low self-esteem are more likely to be depressed. Which conclusion is justified?
A. Low self-esteem causes depression
B. Depression causes low self-esteem
C. The two are related, but the study cannot show what causes what
D. Distressing life events cause both

C — The two are related, but the study cannot show what causes what. A correlational study shows only a relationship. Either variable could cause the other, or a third factor could cause both.

[Wk 3] A correlational study that finds a very strong relationship between two variables has shown that one causes the other.

False — Correlation does not mean causation. Experimental designs, the gold standard, are needed because they let researchers control factors.

[Wk 3] Researchers find that people of one ancestry have higher rates of high blood pressure and conclude that ancestry causes it. What is the strongest criticism?
A. The sample was too large to be reliable
B. Diet, income, stress, or healthcare access may co-vary with ancestry and explain the pattern
C. Blood pressure cannot be measured consistently
D. Correlational studies cannot find relationships between variables

B — Diet, income, stress, or healthcare access may explain the pattern. These are confounding variables, and a weak correlational design cannot rule them out.

[Wk 3] The main problem in correlational studies is ________, which are variables that co-vary with the variables of interest.

confounding variables

[Wk 3] A researcher tests whether a diet lowers blood pressure using only 5 participants and finds no effect. What is the biggest methodological concern?
A. The sample is too small, so a real effect could be missed
B. The variables were operationalized too precisely
C. There were too many control groups
D. The study is automatically pseudoscience

A — The sample is too small. With too little data, a researcher could reject a hypothesis only because the sample size was too small.

[Wk 3] A researcher measures "intelligence" using scores on an intelligence test. For this operationalized variable to be valid, it must:
A. Accurately reflect the concept being studied
B. Agree with the researcher's hypothesis
C. Be measured only once per person
D. Come from a sample of fewer than 50 people

A — Accurately reflect the concept being studied. If test scores don't truly capture intelligence, conclusions about intelligence are unreliable.

[Wk 3] A blood pressure cuff always reads 10 points higher than the true value. This is an example of:
A. Random error
B. Systematic error (biased measurement)
C. A confounding variable
D. Replication

B — Systematic error. Biased measurements miss the true value in the same direction every time. Random error scatters measurements around the true value.

[Wk 3] Which statement best defines pseudoscience?
A. A discipline that has been disproved by scientific evidence.
B. A scientific theory that is widely accepted by experts.
C. A field of study that adheres strictly to scientific methods.
D. Research based on well designed experiments and peer reviewed findings.
E. A collection of beliefs regarded as scientific, however it lacks empirical support.

E — A collection of beliefs regarded as scientific, however it lacks empirical support. Pseudoscience is non-science posing as science. (Midterm Review Quiz)

[Wk 3] The prefix "pseudo" in pseudoscience means ________.

false

[Wk 3] Physiognomy is now considered a pseudoscience.

True — Physiognomy, which judges character from facial features, is not supported by evidence. (Midterm Review Quiz)

[Wk 3] Pseudoscience is usually associated with a specific doctrine or individual rather than with the scientific community.

True

[Wk 3] All of the following are characteristics of pseudoscience, except:
A. a lack of replicability.
B. lacks peer review.
C. commits logical fallacies.
D. claims are falsifiable
E. cherry picking data.

D — Claims are falsifiable. Falsifiability is a characteristic of science; pseudoscientific claims are not falsifiable. (Midterm Review Quiz)

[Wk 3] All of the following are criteria used to identify pseudoscience, except:
A. Belief in authority
B. Handpicked examples
C. Rigged testing
D. Independent peer review

D — Independent peer review. Pseudoscience usually avoids peer review and goes directly to the public.

[Wk 3] A supplement company runs its own "journal," holds yearly conferences, and has a professional "association," but none of these have quality control or ethical guidelines. Which pseudoscience criterion does this show?
A. It is not scientific, but it tries to look like science
B. Science denialism
C. Replicability
D. Falsifiability

A — It is not scientific, but it tries to look like science. Pseudoscience copies academic structures without the quality control and ethics that make them trustworthy.

[Wk 3] A healer claims crystals cure illness through an energy field that no instrument can detect and that only works for people who believe in it. Which characteristics of pseudoscience does this show?
A. An unfalsifiable claim and no plausible mechanism
B. Replicable results and peer review
C. Systematic and rigorous testing
D. A large sample size and controlled variables

A — An unfalsifiable claim and no plausible mechanism. The claim can't be tested or proven wrong, and nothing in existing knowledge explains how it would work.

[Wk 3] A biochemist runs one experiment suggesting a protein has a key role in muscle contraction. Her colleagues agree the result is an artifact of experimental error. This is best classified as:
A. Pseudoscience
B. Poor science
C. Science denialism
D. Pseudo-theory promotion

B — Poor science. A single error is not pseudoscience, which requires a sustained effort to promote a standpoint that lacks scientific legitimacy.

[Wk 3] A biochemist runs one sloppy experiment after another, always interpreting them as support for the same protein role that other scientists reject. This is closest to:
A. Poor science
B. Pseudoscience
C. Replication
D. Falsification

B — Pseudoscience. She makes a sustained effort to promote a standpoint that differs from the one with scientific legitimacy, rather than making a one-time error.

[Wk 3] Astrology, homeopathy, creationism (intelligent design), and eugenics are examples of which form of pseudoscience?
A. Science denialism
B. Pseudo-theory promotion
C. Poor science
D. Fraud

B — Pseudo-theory promotion. Each one promotes a specific theory that lacks scientific support.

[Wk 3] Climate change denial, tobacco disease denial, and a national government's rejection of the science on HIV/AIDS are examples of:
A. Pseudo-theory promotion
B. Science denialism
C. Poor science
D. Correlational research

B — Science denialism. Each one rejects well-supported facts and creates a false controversy in science.

[Wk 3] Astrology, homeopathy, and climate change denial are all examples of pseudo-theory promotion.

False — Astrology and homeopathy are pseudo-theory promotion, but climate change denial is science denialism.

[Wk 3] Science denialism is fact resistant and creates a false ________ in science.

controversy

[Wk 3] The five characteristics of science denial (FLICC) are fake experts, logical fallacies, impossible expectations, cherry picking, and:
A. Peer review
B. Conspiracy theories
C. Control groups
D. Replication

B — Conspiracy theories. FLICC stands for Fake experts, Logical fallacies, Impossible expectations, Cherry picking, and Conspiracy theories.

[Wk 3] A group says it won't accept that climate change is happening until scientists can predict next year's temperatures with 100% certainty. Which science denial technique is this?
A. Fake experts
B. Impossible expectations
C. Conspiracy theories
D. Magnified minority

B — Impossible expectations. Demanding a level of certainty that no science can provide is a way to dismiss well-supported evidence.

[Wk 3] Andrew Wakefield's research is used in this course as an example because it:
A. Was replicated by many labs that confirmed a vaccine risk
B. Claimed a link between the MMR vaccine and autism and was later exposed as fraud
C. Proved that poor gut health causes measles
D. Was the largest vaccine safety trial ever conducted

B — It claimed an MMR vaccine–autism link and was later exposed as fraud. The paper also linked poor gut health to autism, and an investigation later showed the research was fraudulent.

[Wk 3] Besides fraudulent data, which ethics in human research problem is associated with Wakefield's study?
A. He used a sample that was too large
B. Children underwent invasive medical procedures without proper ethical approval, and he had undisclosed financial conflicts of interest
C. He shared his data publicly before publication
D. He included a control group

B — Invasive procedures on children without proper ethical approval, plus undisclosed conflicts of interest. Ethical human research requires approval, consent, and disclosure of conflicts.

[Wk 3] Which best explains why it matters to tell science from pseudoscience, using the vaccine–autism case?
A. Pseudoscience only affects academic debates
B. False claims lowered vaccination rates and contributed to measles outbreaks, especially in vulnerable communities
C. Wakefield's claims increased public trust in vaccines
D. The claims had no measurable effect on health

B — False claims lowered vaccination rates and contributed to outbreaks. Anti-vaccine activism hit hardest in communities facing income, language, and education barriers.

[Wk 3] All of the following are problems with scientific information discussed in lecture, except:
A. Research is often inaccessible because of paywalls and jargon
B. Media outlets and the internet can misreport findings
C. Studies can be rushed to press
D. Findings are reviewed by independent experts before publication

D — Findings are reviewed by independent experts. Peer review is a strength of science. The problems are inaccessibility, media and internet reporting, limitations of studies, science illiteracy, and rush to press.

[Wk 3] Which field studies early cultures and lifeways through their material remains?
A. Paleontology
B. Paleoanthropology
C. Archaeology
D. Primatology

C — Archaeology. Paleontology studies ancient life through the fossil record, and paleoanthropology focuses on hominins.

[Wk 3] Paleoanthropology is the study of all ancient life, using the fossil record to reconstruct evolutionary relationships and past environments.

False — That describes paleontology. Paleoanthropology focuses specifically on hominins.

[Wk 3] What makes archaeology uniquely valuable?
A. It is the only way to study cultural change over long periods of time
B. It is the only field that uses the scientific method
C. It studies only living cultures
D. It focuses only on non-human fossils

A — It is the only way to study cultural change over long periods of time. It also helps us appreciate and preserve shared human heritage and understand our origins.

[Wk 3] A TV show claims aliens must have built the Egyptian pyramids because ancient people "couldn't have" done it. Which archaeological evidence best counters this claim?
A. Evidence of organized labor, division of work, management and logistics, animals, materials, and payment of workers
B. A single unusual artifact found near the site
C. Testimonials from people who have visited the pyramids
D. Similarities between pyramids on different continents

A — Evidence of organized labor, logistics, materials, and payment. Pseudoarchaeology ignores this evidence and relies on insufficient evidence and logical errors.

[Wk 3] People engage in pseudoarchaeology for all of the following reasons, except:
A. Profit and fame
B. Nationalism
C. Racism or religious belief systems
D. Systematic testing of hypotheses

D — Systematic testing of hypotheses. That is what real archaeology does. Pseudoarchaeology instead shifts attention away from flaws in its own metho