BIOL1113 Week one Lecture Notes: Scientific Method and Data Interpretation (Vocabulary)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from the lecture on life, the scientific method, experimental design, data interpretation, and basic statistics.

Life (biology)

A condition exhibited by organisms that are organized, require energy, maintain internal order (homeostasis), reproduce/grow/develop, and evolve.

Five characteristics of life

Organization, energy use, internal homeostasis, reproduction/growth/development, and evolution.

Scientific Method

A series of interrelated steps used to investigate phenomena, gather data, form hypotheses, test predictions, and draw conclusions.

Observation

Careful sensing of phenomena (what you see, hear, smell, read) that generates questions.

Question

A query arising from observations that guides scientific inquiry.

Hypothesis

A tentative, testable explanation for observations; a proposed answer to a question.

Prediction

A testable expectation about what will happen if the hypothesis is true.

Data

Recorded observations or measurements used to evaluate a hypothesis.

Conclusion

Interpretation of data regarding whether the hypothesis is supported or refuted.

Publish

Submit research for peer review and potential publication in a scientific journal.

Peer-reviewed journal

A publication reviewed by experts in the field before acceptance.

Observational research

Discovery science; studies natural phenomena without manipulating variables.

Controlled experiment

Experiment where variables are deliberately manipulated to test a hypothesis.

Independent variable

The variable deliberately changed or tested; plotted on the x-axis.

Dependent variable

The variable measured in response to changes in the independent variable; plotted on the y-axis.

Standardized variable

A factor kept constant across all subjects to prevent confounding effects.

Control group

Baseline group used for comparison; does not receive the experimental treatment.

Experimental group

Group that receives the treatment or condition being tested.

Replicates

Multiple units within the same treatment to estimate natural variation and represent the population.

Null hypothesis

Statement that there is no effect or difference between groups.

Alternative hypothesis

Statement that there is an effect or difference between groups.

Bar graph

Graph with distinct treatment categories showing summary statistics (means/medians) and variation.

Regression

Statistical method to examine the relationship between an independent and a dependent variable.

R-squared (R2)

Statistic indicating how well data fit a regression line; proportion of variance explained.

P-value

Probability that observed results occurred by chance; used to assess statistical significance.

t-test

Statistical test comparing the means of two groups to determine if they are different.

ANOVA

Analysis of Variance; tests whether means differ among three or more groups.

Post-hoc test

Additional analyses to identify which groups differ after a significant ANOVA.

Correlation

A measure of the relationship between two variables; does not imply causation.

Causation

A cause-and-effect relationship between variables.

Linear regression

Relationship where the dependent variable changes proportionally with the independent variable; fitted as a straight line.

Quadratic relationship

Non-linear relationship where the dependent variable changes with the square of the independent variable.

Placebo

Inactive treatment used as a control to account for the placebo effect.

Population

The entire group of individuals or items of interest in a study.

Sample

A subset of the population selected for a study.

Discovery science

Observational science aimed at discovering patterns and laws from data.

Pseudoscience

Claims presented as science but lacking testable predictions or empirical support.

Hypothesis testing

Process of using data to determine whether to reject the null hypothesis in favor of the alternative.

Standard deviation

A measure of variability within data; spread of values around the mean.

Standard error

Estimate of the standard deviation of the sampling distribution; used with means.

Controls

Groups or factors used for comparison to isolate the effect of the independent variable.