ch 2 Flashcards
(16 cards)
scientific method
theory leads to the formulation of hypotheses that, when tested, either strengthen or weaken the theory at hand and prompt the formation of still more hypotheses. This cycle is the foundation of the scientific method.
theory
explanatory statements or arguments related to particular sets of phenomena supported by observation or experiment
paradigm
a conceptual framework within which bodies of theory are developed, directing the course of future investigation
essentialism
Plato’s idea that what exists in the world and is experienced by the human senses is an imperfect representation of an underlying, perfect, and immutable ideal, or essence, knowable only by the mind
uniformitarianism
a philosophy in geology that argues that the natural processes affecting the earth and observable today have remained constant (uniform) through geological time
Darwinism
evolution resulting from natural selection acting on random variation in populations, through which more fit individuals are favored in the “struggle for existence conceived by Charles Darwin
adaptation
a state of existence or a process by which an organism is or becomes better suited to its circumstances of life
natural selection
the non-random preservation or elimination of variants through competition within and between species promoting differential reproductive success
epistemology
the study or theory of knowledge, including its production, validation, and application
null hypothesis
in statistics, a proposition that there is no difference among samples, conditions, outcomes, etc, that can be disproved through experiment or observation
the great chain of being
Aristotle’s ordered, hierarchical, and static view of the world
catastrophism
Cuvier’s notion that fossil forms are produced through series of cataclysmic events and that changes from one kind to the next in succession result from new forms arriving from areas not affected by the event
binomial nomenculture
a “two-name” system developed by Linnaeus to identify all plants and animals according to genus and species
microevolution
small-scale evolutionary occuring within a population over the span of a few generations, affecting the frequency of specific characters and not involving species formation
macroevolution
large-scale evolutionary events, typically viewed over geological time, leading to speciation and the formation of higher taxonomic categories
biological species concept
species defined on the basis of reproductive inclusion within its membership and reproductive isolation from other species
