bio vce unit 3/4 keywords

Consequence-based approach

Aims to maximise positive outcomes and minimise negative effects

Duty/rule-based approach

Focuses on how people act, based on the idea that certain rules must be followed regardless of the consequences

Virtues-based approach

Focuses on the virtues and moral character of the person carrying out the action rather than the action itself, guided by what a good person would do

Non-maleficence

Avoiding the causation of harm

Beneficence

Maximising benefits and minimising harm

Integrity

Commitment to searching for knowledge and communicating all sources of information and results honestly, whether favourable or unfavourable, so others can scrutinise them

Respect

Recognising the value of living things, giving due regard to their welfare and autonomy, and empowering and protecting those with diminished capacity to make their own decisions

Justice

Fair distribution and access to all benefits of a course of action, with no unfair burden on a particular group

Case study

An investigation of a particular activity, behaviour, event or problem that contains real or hypothetical situations with complexities

Classification and identification

Classification is the arrangement of phenomena, objects or events into manageable sets; identification is recognising phenomena as belonging to a particular set

Controlled experiment

Investigates the relationship between an independent and dependent variable, with all other variables controlled

Correlational study

Planned observation and recording of events and behaviours that have not been controlled or manipulated, in order to understand relationships between variables

Fieldwork

Observing and interacting with a selected environment beyond the classroom, usually in an attempt to determine correlation

Literature review

The collation and analysis of secondary data related to other people's scientific findings in order to answer a question or provide background information

Modelling

The construction of a physical, conceptual or mathematical model to represent a system, help explain or simulate it, or make predictions

Product, process or system development

Design of an artefact, process or system that meets a human need

Accuracy

How close a measurement is to the true value

Precision

How closely a set of measurement values agree with each other

Repeatability

Agreement between repeated measurements of the same quantity under the same conditions

Reproducibility

Agreement between repeated measurements of the same quantity under changed conditions

True value

The value(s) that would be found if the quantity could be measured perfectly

Validity

A measurement is valid if it measures what it is supposed to measure; an experiment is valid if it investigates what it claims to investigate