Ch1 - The Process of Science

1) In a new drug test there are two groups that each have 50 people in them. The drug is supposed to help back pain. Group 1 receives the drug while group 2 receives a sugar pill. Why did group 2 receive the sugar pill?

The placebo effect

2) What is the first step in the scientific process?

A careful observation

3) Give an example of an everyday nonscientific theory.

Old dogs cant learn new tricks (Answer not in power point, this is what I believe the question is asking for)

4) Which microscope lets you see 3-D images?

Scanning Electron Microscope

5) List 4 pitfalls of to avoid from the analysis of a single epidemiological study

Pitfalls (problems with small sample size)
1) non random subjects
2) small sample size
3) the complexity of the disease when studying diseases
4) no controls
You do not want to do any of these which will affect your data and accuracy.

6) You are a researcher and you are studying the intake of marijuana and food consumption. You found that when marijuana use increases, the "munchies" increase as well. Does that mean marijuana use and food in take are correlated?

No, correlation is not causation.
You must do rigorous testing to prove causation.

Just because people get hungry when using marijuana, it does not mean that marijuana causes hunger

7) What is the unit of Mass in science? What is the unit of Temperature in science?

Mass= Gram
Temperature= Celsius

8) What is the importance of a placebo?

A placebo is important because you want everything to be exactly the same in an experiment EXCEPT the independent variable. The control group is given a placebo pill, and the experimental group is given the drug. Both groups are taking a pill

9) What are scientists testing when they conduct an experiment?

They are testing the hypothesis

10) How can two different studies, from different scientists investigating the same thing (the relationship, if any, between marijuana use and food consumption) come to different conclusions?

There are many reasons why they might have different data:
•They may have different sample sizes
•They may test "munchies" differently than hunger. How did each define munchies?
•Did they use different age groups or sexes?

11) In science, what is the unit used for volume and for length?

Length= Meter
Volume= Liter/Cubic Centimeter

12) Define causational evidence.

A systematic scientific study, evidence that documents a relationship between an activity, treatment, or intervention (including technology) and its intended outcomes, including measuring the direction and size of a change, and the extent to which a change may be attributed to the activity or intervention.

13) A scientist named Maleficent conducted an experiment to determine why artic fox change the color of their fur. At the indoor zoo, she notices that the 6 artic foxes stay white all year, but in the wild, their fur turns darker in the spring and summer. Using her powers of persuasion, the zoo builds an outdoor habitat that has the same seasons as the artic (cold winters, warm summers). Three foxes (group A) she will keep indoors when the weather begins to get warm. Group B will have both warm and cold temperatures. Group B changed color while group A stayed white. What conclusion can be drawn about temperature and fur color?

Cold changes fur color in the artic fox.

14) Why is only one thing changed in an experiment, in order to have valid results?

To tell what worked with what (variables)

15) Is a hypothesis an opinion? Must it be testable?

Yes, it is an educated guess opinion, but it must be testable. I think girls are " smarter" than boys. Not valid. Define smart. Valid hypothesis, "I think girls get better grades than boys in high school."

16) Is this a valid scientific theory? If I wash my car, it will rain.

No

17) A diet pill says that the produce is "scientifically proven" to help you lose weight. All the people are very lean and have excellent muscle mass. These people say they were overweight before taking the diet product. Is their testimony enough evidence for you to use this product?

No

18) Two groups are given a drug that they are told will make them drowsy. Group A receives the drug, while group B receives a sugar pill. Surprisingly, both groups report that they are drowsy 30 minutes after receiving the pill. The sugar pill group is said to be experiencing: ________ effect.

Both groups told they the pill they take will make them drowsy. Both are given a pill. Both groups report drowsiness. This is the PLACEBO effect.

19) What is a hypothesis?

An educated guess that can be tested

20) What are some reasons that the media misrepresents research in data?

1) They only have so much space (air time/page space) to report on and may skip details.
2) They don't understand the science and may state things incorrectly
3) They have a political or personal agenda

21) Because of Redi's spontaneous generation lab, which food process do we now have?

Pasteurization

22) In an experiment, which group gets the placebo?

The control group gets the placebo. The control group is not changed and is used to see what happens when the independent variable is added

23) Define Epidemiology.

Epidemiology is the study of diseases

24) Which gives the greatest confidence in data? 100, 1000, or 50,000 participants in an experiment?

The largest sample group gives the greatest confidence in data 50K (As many people as possible)

25) When should safety procedures be in place?

Every time you do an experiment, you should have safety procedures in place EVERY TIME. In the lab, out in the field, at the river, in the classroom.

26) You have four groups of people who all have knee pain labeled a 6 on the pain scale. All the groups receive a pill. Group 1 received the placebo. Group 2 15mg of the drug. Group 3 25mg of the drug. Group 4 50mg of the drug. Here is the data: Group 1 pain level 6. Group 2: 4.5. Group 3: 4.5. Group 4: 4.5. As the scientist, what should you do now as the next step?

Run a statistical analysis to determine between the differences between group 2-4 are significant.
1. no pill, pain = 6
2. 15 mg, pain = 4.5
3. 25 mg, pain = 4.5
4. 50 mg, pain = 4.5
(It is unknown how many people were in each group, and the results could have been altered because of that)

27) What things must a controlled experiment have?

A controlled experiment must have a dependent and independent variable, it MUST be repeatable

28) Using the same experiment as question 1, What is the independent variable? What is the dependent variable?

The drug is the independent variable, the amount of time they stopped breathing is the dependent variable

29) What would a positive correlation on drinking coffee show?

Drinking MORE coffee INCREASES memory and health

30) What things were NOT constants in Redi's experiment?

Jar with covering, which is the independent variable. Everything else must be the same, a constant

31) List the order of the scientific method.

1) Observation
2) Purpose
3) Hypothesis
4) Test hypothesis-Data collection
5) Analysis
6) Conclusion
7) Publish results

32) What steps are used in the beginning of scientific study?

Observation and research

33) It is a known fact that smoking causes particulates to stay in the lungs, which affects the heart and causes it to pump harder. Yes or No? Do long term smokers have poor heart health compared to nonsmokers?

Yes

34) What is a theory?

A theory is a carefully thought-out explanation for observations of the natural world that has been constructed using the scientific method, and which brings together many facts and hypotheses. However, it is often used as a "definitive conclusion" in many conversations. A Theory can be revised or replaced with new evidence. The "theories" about caffeine and health is an example.

35) An epidemiologist finds a correlation between tanning beds and college women getting skin cancer. Do tanning beds cause cancer?

No, correlation is not proof of causation

36) What does statistical significance mean?

The percentage of errors and sample size. A measure of confidence the results obtained are real and not by chance

37) Referring to question 1 experiment, which is the experimental group, and which is the control group?

The experimental group is the drug group and the control group is the sugar pill group

38) What should an observation include?

A good observation should include:
1. Other experimental data
2. Peer reviewed scientific literature
3. Observations of past work
4. Previous data gathered
5. It should NOT include anecdotal evidence

39) A study was done on the growth of preschool children and vitamins. Growth rate is considered to be what?

Dependent Variable, (dependent = data)

40) A study was done on macromolecules in baby food. Each type of food was tested for protein, carbohydrate, and fat. One test tube contained only water. What is the purpose of the water test tube?

Control

41) Which microscope uses 2 lenses and can see living creatures?

Light microscope

42) From what you have read in the chapter, would you say a 21-year-old Caucasian female can count of caffeinated coffee to reduce her risk of Parkinson's disease?

No, the study was done on Japanese men, not Caucasian females

43) Why would the media exaggerate some scientific discoveries?

To sell papers, or get more money from advertisers on their TV program

44) From the book infographic 1.4, if only the left side was shown, would the data be convincing? Why or why not?

No, due to the smaller sample size.

45) Why do we have theories?

We have theories to help us explain the natural world. Evolution is an example

46) What is an acceptable p-value for statistics?

P value = .05 or (95% accuracy, 05% error)

47) Define anecdotal.

Observations that may be related but have not been systematically tested

48) What if you did an experiment and published the results for peer review. What would happen if it was not accepted by your peers? What should you do?

The scientist should revise their hypothesis, re-test, and collect new data. Resubmit for peer review

49) Is it important to be able to repeat results of an experiment?

It is VERY IMPORTANT to have other scientists (peers) be able to repeat your experiment. And, for you to also repeat your experiment to make sure the data is good before submitting for peer review. Needham repeated Redi's experiment, then did his own, Spallanzani repeated Needham's, and Pasteur repeated Spallanzani.

50) During lectures, your favorite bio teacher this year, draws a conclusion about students asking to use the bathroom after 3rd period. She states that it isn't that students are bored with her lectures and want to leave, they must need to use the bathroom because they ate and drank lunch right before class. Is this anecdotal evidence?

Yes, is it anecdotal. I don't have evidence to support this

51) What is the relationship between scientific journals and peer reviews?

Scientific Journals, with experimental data in them, are reviewed by experts in a particular field.

52) List the pros and cons of each microscope.

Light:
Pro- Affordable, looks at living things
Con- Only magnifies up to 1000x
Scanning Electron:
Pro- 3D, magnifies up to 25,000x
Con- Dead things only, expensive
TEM:
Pro- High magnification
Con- Expensive, dead things only, black and white

53) Put in the correct order from most to least reliable
1. Magazine articles written by a scientist
2. Magazine articles written by a journalist
3. Public opinion
4. Scientific Journals

4,1,2,3

54) Which of the statements below are true for features of an experimental group versus the control group testing the hypothesis "Consuming coffee improves memory.'
1. The control group must be the same age and sex as the experimental group.
2. The experimental group will contain subjects who are observed under the conditions being tested.
3. The experimental and control groups would both have their memories tested.
4. There must be the same number of participants in the control and experimental group.
5. The experimental group would consist of individuals who have had caffeinated coffee.
6. The control group would have had decaf coffee (no caffeine).

All of these are true statements

55) Refer to the Maleficent experiment (Question 13) Which group of Fox are the control fox?

The Control Fox was the one that always
stayed in the cold.

56) Why is statistical analysis important?

The statistical data can be used to either support or reject the hypothesis and determine if results are accurate or just from chance.

57) List the order of the scientific method.

1) Question
2) Read Literature
3) Hypothesize
4) Experiment
5) Conclusion
6) Publish

58) A woman with skin cancer says that a tanning bed gave her the cancer. She said she did 10 sessions of 10 minutes. To test to see if tanning beds gave her cancer, a scientist took skin cells growing in a petri dish and placed the petri dishes in a tanning bed. Another set of petri dishes were not exposed to tanning beds. What is the control and what is the independent variable in this experiment?

The independent were the petri dishes placed in the tanning beds and the control were the petri dishes that weren't

59) You want to run an experiment to see if a drug will prevent baldness in men. What should you set up as controls and experimental groups?

Both groups will have to be men with thinning hair, relatively the same age

60) What is the most reliable type of source for scientific advances?

A peer-reviewed Scientific Journal

61) What does a negative correlation mean?

Negative correlation shows one variable increases, one decreases. Ex: altitude and temperature.

62) Looking at infographic 1.4 from the book, why is the graph on the right more accurate?

More samples and more accurate differences in the data

63) Define correlation.

A correlation is a consistent relationship between two variables

64) Which if any of these statements are true?
1. Peer reviewing allows other scientists to verify the results of the experiment
2. Peer reviewing allows other scientists to modify the lab procedure to do further experimentation
3. Peer reviewing allows other scientists to repeat your experiment.

All are true

65) What does a correlation in a scientific study indicate?

A Correlation is a possible link between two variables, such as Sterk's migraine medicine and hair loss

66) What does a positive correlation in a scientific study mean?

Positive correlation indicates both variables increase proportionally. (Sterk's migraine meds have now shown a positive correlation has increasing hypertension. It does not CAUSE all people to take it to get high blood pressure, but many, have

67) What are the characteristics of living things? (This will be the true/false on the test)

1) Growth and development
2) Reproduce offspring
3) Heredity of traits
4) Homeostasis, stable inner conditions
5) Metabolism, energy from chemical reactions
6) Cellular, structure and composition
7) Respond to the environment
(GRHHMCR)