biology - 3 Flashcards
(45 cards)
What does the null hypothesis propose?
That there will be no statistically significant effect as a result of the experiment treatment.
When is the null hypothesis rejected?
If there is evidence for an effect, unlikely due to chance.
When do scientific ideas become accepted?
Once they have been checked independently.
What is peer review?
Specialists with expertise in the relevant field assess the scientific quality of a submitted manuscript and make recommendations regarding its suitability for publication.
What do review articles do?
Summarise current knowledge and recent findings in a particular field.
What does the replication of experiments by others reduce?
The opportunity for dishonesty or the deliberate misuse of science.
What is the importance of integrity and honesty given by?
Unbiased presentation of results, citing and providing references, avoiding plagiarism.
In animal studies, what are used to avoid, reduce or minimise the harm to animals?
The concepts of replacement, reduction, and refinement.
What are some human ethics?
Informed consent, the right to withdraw, and confidentiality.
What must the value or quality of science investigations be justifiable in terms of?
The benefits of its outcome, including the pursuit of scientific knowledge.
As a result of the risks involved, what are many areas of scientific research?
Highly regulated and licensed by governments.
What can all influence scientific research?
Legislation, regulation, policy and funding.
What does legislation limit?
The potential for the misuse of studies and data.
What is validity?
Variables controlled so that any measured effect is likely to be due to the independent variable.
What is reliability?
Consistent values in repeats and independent replicates.
What is accuracy?
Data, or means of data sets, are close to the true value.
What is precision?
Measured values are close to each other.
What is a pilot study used for?
To help plan procedures, assess validity and check techniques.
What does the pilot study allow?
Evaluation and modification of experimental design.
It allows the investigator to establish the number of repeat measurements required to give a representative value for each independent datum point.
What can the use of a pilot study ensure?
An appropriate range of values for the independent variable.
What is an independent variable?
The variable that is changed in a scientific experiment.
What is a dependent variable?
The variable being measured in a scientific experiment.
What are multifactorial experimental designs?
A combination of more than one independent variable or combination of treatments.
What is an advantage and a disadvantage of the control of laboratory conditions?
It allows simple experiments to be conducted more easily than in the field. However, a drawback of a simple experiment is that its findings may not be applicable to a wider setting.
