UNIT 3 - Science and Pseudoscience

What is pseudoscience?

A claim, belief, or practice presented as scientific that does not adhere to the scientific method.

Give an example of a harmless superstitious belief.

Good luck charms or opening an umbrella indoors.

What nutritional belief is commonly thought to be healthier but lacks scientific support?

Gluten-free food is healthier.

What is alternative medicine?

A wide range of practices where pseudoscience is applied to health.

Name one practice considered alternative medicine.

Acupuncture.

What is the placebo effect?

A real improvement in symptoms experienced after receiving a treatment with no active ingredients, due to the belief that it will help.

How does expectation affect the placebo effect?

The larger the expectation, the larger the overall effect.

What is the double-blind method used for?

To ensure neither the patient nor the researcher knows who is receiving the placebo in clinical trials.

What tragic example highlights the dangers of alternative medicine?

A 15-year-old died from type 1 diabetes in 2013 because his parents refused to give him insulin.

What can classify a claim as scientific?

If there is a way to disprove the claim, it can be considered a scientific claim.

What approach do pseudoscientific claims often take regarding falsifiability?

They make vague, unfalsifiable claims that cannot be easily disproven.

What is an extraordinary claim that requires extraordinary evidence?

The assertion that vaccines cause autism.

How can one protect themselves from pseudoscience?

By questioning the source of information.

What does 'the simplest explanation is usually the right one' refer to?

A principle to help identify valid scientific claims over pseudoscientific ones.

Why is it important to investigate motivations behind a claim?

To identify biases and understand potential misleading claims.

What does 'wishful thinking' imply in the context of medicine?

The belief that something beneficial will occur, often without supportive evidence.

What are examples of practices that have been largely disproven yet are still widely believed?

Claims like vaccines causing autism.

What is magnet therapy considered?

An alternative medicine practice that is not proven effective.

How does the size of a sugar pill relate to pain relief?

A larger sugar pill delivers more pain relief than a smaller one.

What is a common characteristic of pseudoscience?

It preys on public ignorance with vague and unfalsifiable claims.

What role does the public's ignorance play in pseudoscience?

Pseudoscience exploits the public's lack of understanding to promote unfounded claims.

What should you be wary of in claims that sound too good to be true?

Extraordinary claims that need extraordinary evidence.