1. SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
METHOD

2. The scientific method is the means by which researchers are able to make conclusive statements about their studies with a minimum of bias.

3. What is Bias?

4. Prejudice
Tendency
Leaning Bias – to show prejudice for or against something, someone, or an opinion.
Bias is decreased by using the scientific research method.

5. What are the steps of
the scientific research
method?

6. Problem
Research
Hypothesis
Experiment
Observe
Conclusion

7. Which component is missing from Carmen’s experiment?
Carmen conducted an experiment to determine if listening to different types of music would affect a person’s pulse. Her hypothesis was that pulse rate would change with different types of music. Each person listened to seven different selections of music for 30 seconds each. Each person’s pulse was taken before the music and then after each 30 second interval of music. The pulses were taken again after the music selections were completed. Based on her experiment, Carmen concluded that a person’s pulse rate changed when the person listened to different types of music.
Which component is missing from Carmen’s experiment?
A. a question C. a control group
B. a hypothesis D. a conclusion

8. What is a Variable?

9. Any factor that can
change in an
experiment

10. What is a
Dependent Variable?

11. The factor that is
measured or affected
in an experiment

12. On a graph, which
axis represents the
dependent variable?

13. A The number of participants in the study
A medical researcher hypothesizes that a newly developed medication can reduce high blood pressure. Which of these would most likely be the dependent variable in a study involving this medication?
A The number of participants in the study
B The ages of people treated for high blood pressure with other medications
C The blood pressure of the participants in the study
D The number of people treated for high blood pressure with other medications

14. John enjoys growing plants and wants to see if light affects the growth of plants. John obtains two identical pots and fills each with the same type of soil. Two identical petunia plants are planted, one in each pot. John determines to place one pot in the window and the other pot in a closet. The plants will be observed under these conditions for three weeks during which both will be watered and cared for exactly the same. What is the dependent variable?

15. What is an
Independent
Variable?

16. The factor that can
be varied or
manipulated
in an experiment

17. On a graph, which axis
represents the
independent variable?

18. John enjoys growing plants and wants to see if light affects the growth of plants. John obtains two identical pots and fills each with the same type of soil. Two identical petunia plants are planted, one in each pot. John determines to place one pot in the window and the other pot in a closet. The plants will be observed under these conditions for three weeks during which
both will be watered and cared for exactly
the same. What are the independent variables?

19. What is a hypothesis?

20. An educated guess that predicts the outcome of an investigation
Not all hypotheses are valid and relevant to the experiment.

21. Aristotle thought that a moving object would stop because its natural state was to be at rest. Newton thought that friction is a force that opposes all motion and eventually stops moving objects. Suppose you were coasting on a level surface on a bicycle and there was NO friction. Which statement is a valid prediction of what would happen to the speed, according to Aristotle and Newton?
a. Aristotle: slow and stop; Newton: slow and stop.
b. Aristotle: maintain speed; Newton: slow and stop.
c. Aristotle: maintain speed; Newton: maintain speed.
d. Aristotle: slow and stop; Newton: maintain speed.

22. John enjoys growing plants and wants to see if light affects the growth of plants. John obtains two identical pots and fills each with the same type of soil. Two identical petunia plants are planted, one in each pot. John determines to place one pot in the window and the other pot in a closet. The plants will be observed under these conditions for 3 weeks during which both will be watered
and cared for exactly the same. What
would be a good hypothesis for John’s experiment?

23. The hypothesis “Much of the iron found in the topsoil of the island was carried from Africa by huge dust clouds” refers to iron in the topsoil found on an island formed from limestone.
Which study would most likely be used to
Investigate this hypothesis?
A Tracking dust clouds with satellite photos
B Determining the effects of iron on limestone
C Calculating erosion rates in African limestone mines
D Analyzing the content of comet dust clouds

24. What is an
experimental
factor?

25. The one factor being
tested in the
experiment.

26. John enjoys growing plants and wants to see
if light affects the growth of plants. John
obtains two identical pots and fills each with
the same type of soil. Two identical petunia plants
are planted, one in each pot. John determines to
place one pot in the window and the other pot in a
closet. The plants will be observed under these
conditions for three weeks during which both
will be watered and cared for exactly the same.
What is the experimental factor?
Soil type d. Plant type
b. Pot types e. Amount of water
c. Amount of light

27. What is a
control?

28. A standard to which
other experiments
are compared.
An experiment in which
all the variables remain
constant.

29. A scientist makes this guess:
Homing pigeons use the sun to
find their way home. 25 pigeons
are released on a cloudy day and
25 pigeons are released on a
sunny day. Both sets of pigeons
are released from the same
location. What is the control
group?

30. John enjoys growing plants and wants to see if light affects the growth of petunia plants. John obtains two identical pots and fills each with the same type of soil. Two identical petunia plants are planted, one in each pot. John determines to place one pot in the window and the other pot in a closet. The plants will be observed under these conditions for three weeks during which both will be watered and cared for exactly the same. Which plant is the control?

31. What is a conclusion?

32. Inference – a conclusion
A judgment reached
after an experiment
Inference – a conclusion

33. What inference can be made from the graph?
Only 10.7 percent of all landfills have a permit to burn tires. b.
About one-third of all scrap tires are either exported or recycled. c.
Most scrap tires are illegally dumped to avoid tire disposal fees. d.
The supply of scrap tires is greater than the reuse of scrap tires.

34. Which of the following conclusions is
Trade winds blow from east to west
Across the Pacific Ocean. The winds move
Surface waters westward across the ocean.
This causes deeper, colder water to rise to
The surface along the coast. This upwelling
Of deep ocean waters brings with it nutrients that
Would otherwise lie near the bottom of the ocean.
Which of the following conclusions is
supported by the information above?
F Trade winds help maintain some food chains.
G Trade winds produce useful minerals in some oceans.
H Trade winds can reverse parts of the water cycle.
J Trade winds may be able to reduce greenhouse gases.

35. A Most horses like the medication.
Horses kept in stables sometimes chew on wood this condition is called cribbing. Cribbing can lead to damage to the mouth and digestive system. The graph shows the results of a study of a medication that prevents horses from chewing on wood. From the graph, what inference can be made about the effectiveness of the product?
A Most horses like the medication.
B The medication is most effective between Day 4 & 5.
C Most horses will show improvement within 7 days.
D The effects of the medication are long lasting.

36. What is CER?

37. CER (Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning) – a method used during experimentation to arrive at a solution for a problem through reasoning supported by evidence. Claim (C) - A statement about the solution to the problem Evidence (E) - Scientific data that supports the claim Reasoning (R) - Justification (which means you have to back it up) that shows why data counts as evidence supporting the claim.