Correlation, Scientific Misinformation, and Mechanisms of Evolution

Vocabulary flashcards covering key topics from the lecture, including correlation versus causality, scientific integrity, graph manipulation, and the fundamental definitions and mechanisms of biological evolution.

Correlation

An observed association between two variables that does not, in and of itself, prove causality.

Input Experiment

An experimental approach where variable A is directly manipulated to observe whether variable B changes, used to distinguish true causality from a common cause.

Common Cause

An external or unmeasured variable that independently influences two observed variables, creating a non-causal correlation between them.

Directionality

The temporal sequence of cause and effect, requiring that a causal factor must precede the resulting outcome in time.

Wakefield Study (1998)

A fraudulent study published in The Lancet with a sample size of 12 children that falsely claimed a link between MMR vaccines and autism.

Cherry-Picked Data

A practice in scientific misinformation where specific data points or geographic regions are selectively removed to force a desired correlation or trend.

Scale Manipulation

A graphic tactic used to mislead viewers by distorting y-axes, cutting off zero, or comparing small percentage changes against large fold increases on unequal scales.

Brent Taylor Study

An investigation analyzing 293 cases of autism that found no link or association whatsoever between vaccines and autism.

Brian Deer

The investigative journalist who exposed Andrew Wakefield's financial conflicts of interest, falsified data, and legal funding sources.

BS Asymmetry Principle

A concept named after the academic philosophical term for misinformation, describing the disproportionate effort required to refute false claims once they spread in the public sphere.

Evolution

A change in allele frequencies in a population over time across generations.

Allele

The specific genetic variant at a gene location whose frequency changes within a population during evolution.

Population

The specific biological group that undergoes evolution; individual organisms do not evolve.

Mutation

One of the four mechanisms of evolution; a process that introduces new alleles or alters existing alleles in a population.

Genetic Drift

A mechanism of evolution consisting of non-selective, random changes in allele frequencies across generations.

Gene Flow

The evolutionary mechanism involving the movement of individuals and their associated alleles into or out of a population.

Adaptive Evolution

A non-random mechanism of evolution, also known as natural selection (which includes sexual selection), that leads to differential survival and reproduction.

Individual Development

Physical or physiological changes occurring within a single organism's lifespan (e.g., metamorphosis from tadpole to frog), which do not constitute biological evolution.

Ecological Succession

The predictable structural changes in an ecosystem or community over time, such as a burnt forest growing back into mature trees, which is distinct from population-level evolution.

Phenotypic Plasticity

The capacity of an organism to alter its physical traits, biochemical responses, or behaviors in response to environmental inputs during its lifetime.

Learned Behavior

A behavior acquired through observation, trial, or teaching—such as Japanese macaques washing sweet potatoes in ocean water—which is distinct from inherited genetic traits.