D. Go with the observable evidence

IF YOUR ANSWER IS A – ‘Go with your gut instinct’

Sorry, following your gut is a subjective approach. An objective approach would involve following the evidence.

IF YOUR ANSWER IS B – ‘Go with what most people think’ No, following popular opinion is not the same thing as following the observable evidence. If you want to explore some interesting examples of how wrong popular opinion can be, explore the urban legends at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_legend

IF YOUR ANSWER IS C – ‘Go with expert opinions’

No opinion is subjective; observable facts are objective.

IF YOUR ANSWER IS D – ‘Go with the observable evidence’

Very good! Continue doing the test.

QUESTION 3. Science and opinions - you now believe that the treatment has an effect. What should you do in regard to that opinion?

A. Prove that it is correct

B. Test to see whether your opinion is wrong

IF YOUR ANSWER IS A – ‘Prove that it is correct’

Trying to justify your existing beliefs is not what scientists do. Instead, scientists keep an open mind. Scientists allow the evidence to shoot down their biases.

IF YOUR ANSWER IS B – ‘Test to see whether your opinion is wrong’

You have decided to be like a scientist and put your ideas to the test.

QUESTION 4. Which of the advice below would you follow to test your idea?

A. Make a vague and general prediction

B. Use operational definitions

C. Show how your idea explains existing facts

IF YOUR ANSWER IS A – ‘Make a vague and general prediction’

No, it would be hard to determine whether a vague, general statement was wrong. Testable statements tend to be clear and specific.

IF YOUR ANSWER IS C – ‘Show how your idea explains existing facts’

Showing how your idea explains existing facts will not test your idea. To test your idea, you have to put it in a situation where it can be shown to be wrong.

IF YOUR ANSWER IS B – ‘Use operational definitions’

Right! Using operational definitions (specific, objective definitions of your key terms) will help you to make specific, testable predictions.

You can find about ‘operational definitions’ at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operational_definition

READING

Pre-reading Question:

How similar is the job of a detective-investigator and that of a scientific researcher?

Date: 2014-12-28; view: 1027