Thinking Scientifically: The Scientific Method and Other Ways of Knowing

Inductive reasoning

begins with detailed observations about something and uses those observations to construct a generalized understanding of how the greater system or phenomenon functions. blank is often used to create predictions and build models, which can then be used to test additional hypotheses.

deductive reasoning

starts with broad generalizations and gradually focuses in on a specific statement of assumed truth.

observation

is just information you collect empirically (meaning that you collect the information by using your senses — sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell) and objectively (meaning that anyone else in the same place, using the same methods, would observe the same information that you do).

data

Empirical and objective observations are what scientists call

experimenting

Scientists use data to create new hypotheses that they can then test by collecting more information or

Hypothesis

Based on your observation and any prior knowledge you may have from previous observations or experiences, you create a

Experimental design

is an extremely important part of the scientific method. When a scientist seeks to prove or disprove her hypothesis, she must carefully design her experiment so that it tests only one thing,

Natural experiments

are basically just observations of things that are happening, have already happened or that already exist. In these experiments, the scientist records what she observes without changing the various factors. In collecting these observations, the scientist can identify patterns in the data that are informative for further hypothesis building and testing.

Manipulative experiments

Other experiments are blank experiments, in which a scientist controls some conditions and changes other conditions to test her hypothesis.

blind experiment

To avoid this bias, a scientist can request a blank , in which they ask another scientist to set up a control group and a manipulated group without informing the scientist who's actually observing the experiment which one is which

Hypothesis

is based on observations and states an assumed fact in a way that it can be tested. When scientists are working to rule out incorrect ideas, they may propose a

Null Hypothesis

There is no relationship between how much I turn the hot water knob and the temperature of my shower

Theory

in science is an explanation of a natural phenomenon that has been tested repeatedly and is currently accepted as a fact. are open to further testing, but a good theory continues to hold true through these tests.

Law

explains a process that has been observed, but it doesn't explain why the process occurs.

Pie Charts

are circles with pieces that represent different categories of some type of information. Each slice of pie may be smaller or larger than the others, but all together the slices equal 100 percent.

Bar Graph

illustrates categories of data across a numbered scale.

histograms or frequency distributions

Bar graphs: A bar graph illustrates categories of data across a numbered scale. Bar graphs are also called

Line Graphs

illustrate how measure ments of a particular variable or data type change over time.

degree of uncertainty

Along with understanding the natural world, science also seeks to reduce the degree of uncertainty about what scientists know. Each scientific discovery through experimentation has some

unknown

Along with understanding the natural world, science also seeks to reduce the degree of uncertainty about what scientists know. Each scientific discovery through experimentation has some degree of uncertainty, meaning that some details are still

statistics

(a mathematical way of interpreting data) to help them quantify, or measure, the amount of uncertainty involved.

excellent

A p-value of 95 percent is an blank result for most experiments

information literacy

The ability to distinguish between reliable information and unreliable information in the media is called

Primary resources

have the most recent and newly acquired scientific knowledge, and they've been evaluated by multiple other scientists to ensure that their methods are appropriate and their conclusions are logical.

Secondary sources

explain the information from primary sources in a way that average readers can better understand it. Magazines, newspapers, and books

Tertiary sources

can be a great place to learn the impact of new scientific knowledge on the cultural or political landscape, but often the scientific facts get lost in the heated debates and strong opinions.

westerners

Many modern medicines were "discovered" by blank after already being used for thousands of years by Indigenous communities.

bark of the willow tree

Native American communities used the blank to treat body aches and pains for thousands of years

coca plant

Indigenous communities of South America applied the

novocaine

Indigenous communities of South America applied the coca plant to relieve pain, and it is now an ingredient in the blank your dentist

Mariculture

is the term used for pre-colonial Indigenous practices to conserve and manage marine resources.

fish ponds built by native Hawaiian communi ties, as well as clam gardens and octopus houses built by the Indigenous communities of coastal British Columbia

Coastal Indigenous communities developed ways to responsibly harvest and manage their marine resources. This includes by blank,

Western North America

In many parts of the world, Indigenous commu nities practiced active management of their lands with intentional fire setting. In

coastal British Columbia

Recently, a scientific study concluded that there are two distinct species of wolves in

along the coast and one population living inland

Recently, a scientific study concluded that there are two distinct species of wolves in coastal British Columbia, one population living along the and the other

traditional ecological knowledge or TEK

refers to the cumulative body of knowledge about ecology and ecosystems that is passed through generations and curated by Indigenous communities

Jessica Hernandez, Ph.D

describes Indige nous science as a relationship between humans and the environment; a relation ship wherein humans care for the environment and the environment cares for humans.

Jessica Hernandez, Fresh Banana Leaves

She explains in her book blank that Indigenous knowledge systems are curated through generations and passed down through storytelling and oral tradition in ways that western science has not, until recently, viewed as valuable.

The elders of the Indigenous Heiltsuk First Nation

are not surprised; this knowledge about the two distinct types of wolves in British Columbia has been long known and understood by their community

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