Research Questions, Hypothesis, and Design

These flashcards cover key vocabulary related to scientific research methods and hypothesis formulation from the lecture notes.

Scientific Method

A sequence of problem-solving skills that scientists use to answer questions or problems.

Hypothesis

An educated guess that predicts the relationship between two variables.

Null Hypothesis

A type of hypothesis that denies the existence of a trait, characteristic, quality, value, correlation, or difference in the results.

Alternative Hypothesis

A hypothesis that affirms the existence of observed phenomena and is the opposite of the null hypothesis.

Experimental Group

The group that is exposed to the changes in the independent variable being tested.

Control Group

A group that is separated from the rest of the experiment so the independent variable being tested cannot influence the results.

Fair Test

An experimental design where only one factor is changed while keeping all other variables constant.

Research Problem

The main issue, concern, or situation that you want to study or solve through research.

Scientific Questions

Specific questions asked to find answers or solutions to the research problem.

Dependent Variable

The variable that is measured or affected in an experiment.

Independent Variable

The variable that is manipulated or changed in an experiment.

Extraneous Variable

Variables that are not of primary interest but could affect the outcome of the experiment.

Biological Safety Levels (BSL)

A set of containment precautions designed to prevent exposure to pathogens in biological research.