LEC 2 Reading Guide

How do you know if a person is doing science? What types of activities CAN be classified as science? What are some activities that CANNOT be classified as science?

Why is peer review a valuable part of the scientific process?

How do scientists ensure that their work can be replicated? We use the term replication in two different ways in this course? What is the second definition?

What is one role of observational studies in Dr. Duffy’s lab? Why does the lab also use experiments and mathematical models to investigate infectious disease outbreaks?

Why is science an iterative rather than linear process?

What type of studies allow for us to distinguish correlation and causation? What’s an example of a spurious correlation?

What is purpose of positive and negative controls in experiments? How do positive controls allow researchers to see if the study set up is working properly?

What is the difference between independent and dependent variables in a study?

What kinds of data should be shown with standard error bars, and what happens to standard error as sample size increases? How should you interpret ± 2 standard error bars in BIO 171?

According to Karpicke & Blunt’s 2011 study about study techniques, which technique is most effective for verbatim and inference questions? How do you know?

Why must scientists publish their work for it to be considered a scientific contribution? How does a publication of scientific research relate to the self-correcting nature of science?

What are the differences between predictions, hypotheses, and theories?

TEST YOURSELF: Take the fertilizer example and recast the research question as a hypothesis and testable predictions.

Example: …