Chap. 5

Question 1

what are the three main things pseudoscience fails to do

Answer 1

• be repeatable
• consistant
• experimental accessability

Question 2

what is the basic need for something to be pseudoscience

Answer 2

it must claim or imply to be based on the scientific method

Question 3

why do people use pseudoscience

Answer 3

• help increase credibility of the claim to the general public
• is easier and cheaper than real science
• can be used for finanical gain
• supports something people want to believe

Question 4

what are the hallmarks of pseudoscience

Answer 4

• claims to be science
• looks like and uses scientific terminology
• ignores new data while citing old data
• rarely modifies itself
• very selective
• relies on experts
• does not use independant testing
• subjective, uses beliefs rather than science

Question 5

What is the acronym that is useful when determining if something is science or not

Answer 5

FiLCHeRs
F=falsifiable
L= Logical ( arguments should be valid or sound)
C= comprehensive (all available evidence should be considered)
H=honest (all evidence evaluated without self-deception)
R= replicability
S= is there enough evidence

Question 6

how to design an experiment for testing

Answer 6

1. ask a questions
2. consider experiment type and use of controls
3. collect relevant data
4. how many subjects
5. recruitment process
6. length of study
7. falsifiable

Question 7

what is the placebo effect

Answer 7

when we believe something will do us good thus it does even when the medcine has no real effect

Question 8

how is the placebo used in an ethical trial

Answer 8

here it is treated against the best available medicine. Anything lower may not tell us which is best

Question 9

what is a double blind experiment

Answer 9

where both the participants and the experimenters are not aware of which pill (or vairable) each participant is taking.