1. A test of your observation skills… Contributions by D. Padilla, D. Johnson, & E. Marconi For more optical illusions go to: http://www.123opticalillusions.com/

2. Observations, Inferences, and Predictions

3. Observation An OBSERVATION is something you detect using one or more of your 5 senses. OBSERVATIONS give us information about the world around us. Example: I observed white blood cells are larger than red blood cells under the microscope. (sight)

4. Types of Observations Qualitative – what qualities do you observe? Use adjectives! purple, spiral shaped, curly Quantitative – What quantity can you use with your observations? Use numbers! 1 cell, 5 cm, 100 mL, 42 sec.

5. Inference An INFERENCE is what you decide about an observation. INFERENCES attempt to explain or interpret observations based on the evidence and/or our experience. Example: When you entered the room you inferred that the adult in the room was the teacher. (It could have been someone else.)

6. Prediction A PREDICTION is an educated guess about a future event. A PREDICTION may or may not happen, but it should be logical. Example: The fortune teller made a prediction that I would have 4 children. Example: A predication on the news was made that it will rain tomorrow.

7. Note the Differences -When collecting data, record observations NOT inferences. -Inferences may be used when writing the conclusion in your lab report. -Predictions can be used to make your hypothesis. Let’s test your observation skills…

8. Take a good look at this picture

9. Question 1 Are there cars parked on the sides of the road?

10. Question 2 What color is the pickup truck driving in the road?

11. Question 3 Any minivans around?

12. Question 4 What does the blue sign say?

13. Question 5 What's the speed limit?

14. Question 6 Are there any pedestrians on the road?

16. Answers 1. Yes 2. Blue 3. Yes 4. Yard Sale 5.35 mph 6. No

18. Observation Activity #2 Choose several people to be observers and choose one person in your group to be an investigator. Allow the observers to look at the following picture for 30 seconds. The investigator should not look at the picture. After 30 seconds, the investigator should begin questioning the observers. The investigator should question each observer.. Then, the investigator should attempt to reconstruct the scene based on the "eyewitness testimony".

20. Questions Asked How many cars were in the intersection? 2 Across the street, are there any parked cars on the side? Yes Can you describe at least one of the cars driving through the intersections? White van or Blue/Gray SUV Are there any other potential witnesses? If yes, ask the following questions: What was the witness doing? Where was he/she? Yes, a man mowing his lawn What was the speed limit? 35 mph Was there anyone parked in the first parking spot? No

21. What do you see? Hint: There are 3 images. 1. An old lady 2. A young woman 3. A man with a big brown mustache

22. Read this sign A BIRD IN THE THE BUSH

23. This image contains a picture and a word. Do you see both of them? 1.A face with glasses 2.The word liar