Chapter 1 definitions Nature of Science Science the process of using observations and experiments to draw evidence based conclusions Anecdotal evidence an informal observation that has not been systematically tested Peer Review a process in which independent scientific experts read scientific studies before their publication to ensure that the authors have appropriately designed and interpreted their study Hypothesis a testable and falsifiable explanation for scientific observation or question Testable a hypothesis is testable if it can be supported or rejected by carefully designed experiments or no experimental studies Falsifiable describes a hypothesis that can be ruled out by data that shows that the hypothesis does not explain the observation Experiment a carefully designed test the results of which will either support or rule out a hypothesis Experimental group the group in an experiment that experiences the experimental intervention or manipulation Control group the group in an experiment that experiences no experimental intervention or manipulation Placebo Effect the effect observed when members of a control group display a measurable response to a placebo because they think they are receiving a real treatment Independent Variable the variable or factor being deliberately changed in the experimental group Dependent Variable the measured result of an experiment analyzed in both the experimental and control groups Sample Size the number of experimental subjects or the number of times an experiment is repeated In human studies sample size is the number of subjects Statistical significance a measure of confidence that the results obtained are real rather than due to random chance Scientific theory a hypothesis that is supported by many years of rigorous testing and thousands of experiments Epidemiology the study of patterns of disease in populations including risk factors Correlation a consistent relationship between two variables Randomized clinical trial a controlled medical experiment in which subjects are randomly chosen to receive either an experimental treatment or a standard treatment or placebo
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