Chapter 1.1: Scientific Inquiry

Observation

Act of viewing the world around us

Tentative Explanations to questions on observations (hypotheses):

• Drawn from observations 

  • Helps make predictions that can be tested by observations and experiments

Hypothesis

• Proposed explanation of facts 

Theory

• A general explanation of natural phenomena supported by many experiments and observations

Falsification

• the ability to prove a scientific hypothesis or theory false through observation or experimentation 

Experimentation

Disciplined and controlled way of asking and answering questions about the world in an unbiased manner

Controlled experiment

• Researchers set up several groups and keep the conditions as similar as possible and introduce one varying variable and look for its effects

Test group

• The group to which a variable is introduced

Control Group

• No variable is introduced, used as a reference base line

Replication

• The process of carrying out an experiment multiple times so that it can be tested

  • A replicate is a unit which is subjected to a chosen treatment

  • Replicates are independent → Replicates in the same group should not have

  • anything in common that they don’t share with other groups

Randomization

• the process of assigning participants to treatment or control groups by chance, ensuring each has an equal chance of being assigned to any group and preventing bias

Scientific inquiry

Exploration, in which we make observations, ask questions, and read the scientific literature

1. Exploration

2. Investigation

3. Communication

Deductive Thinking

a "top-down" logical approach that starts with a general principle or premise and applies it to specific scenarios to reach a guaranteed, logically sound conclusion

• Moves from a general rule to a specific conclusion that its also applicable to 

Logical Inference

a reasoning process that derives conclusions from established premises using logical rules

Logical Equivalence:

if they express the same fact in different words. In other words, if either one is true, the other one must be true