1 ISB 202 Fall 2009 Midterm Examination I (Total Points 50) Read each question carefully. Think a lot. Write a little. Please write all answers on the Answer Sheet. I. Science as a way of knowing 1. Scientific questions. (2pts) Which of the following is an example of a scientific question? a. Is stealing wrong? b. Should people vote? c. Do students learn better if they study by themselves or in groups? d. Who is the best blues guitar player? 2. Scientific questions (4 pts) a. Explain how the answer you chose in question #1 is an example of a scientific question. This question (as opposed to the others) can be tested with direct observations or data. b. Choose one of the non-scientific questions in question #1 and develop a related scientific question. Here are some examples of what you could have written – as long as the question could be tested with data, the answer would be accepted. a – Do the majority of people in ISB202 think that stealing is wrong? b – Does the ability to vote result in a country having a greater productivity, such as measured by gross domestic product (GDP)? d – Which blues guitar player sells the most CDs? 3. Hypotheses. (4pts) Using the answer you chose in question #1 as an example of a scientific question, a. provide an alternative hypothesis b. provide the null hypothesis a – Students score higher on tests when they study in groups. b – Average test scores will be the same between the two studying methods.2 If you chose to NOT use the 1c, but instead one of the other answers, we took off ½ a point here, but did not take off any points further down due to this error. 4. Variables. (6 pts) Using the answer you chose in question #1 as an example of a scientific question, a. what is the independent variable? (1pt)Study method (group or individual) b. is the independent variable a continuous or categorical variable? (1pt) Categorical (Even if students wrote “categorical,” if they did not get 1a correct, they did not receive points for this b/c then they got the right answer for the wrong reason.) c. what is the dependent variable? (1 pt) Some measure of how well students learn, so perhaps exam grades or overall course grade, the amount of time required for a student to learn a given concept correctly d. give an example of how the dependent variable can be measured (i.e., what are the units?) (2 pts) Collect data on test scores of students – one could compare the test scores of individuals who study alone v. in groups; or one could compare the test scores of individuals when they study alone v. when they study in groups (units = test scores) e. give an example of a variable that one could control for when conducting a study on this question. (1 pt) • Limit the study to students taking the same class (so that the difficulty of the subject material is the same for everyone)…or the same major… • The level of the students in the study (e.g., freshman, sophomores, juniors, seniors) • The total amount of time studying This variable MUST be something that is controlled for BOTH the group and individuals. 5. Graphing. (4 pts) Using the answer you chose in question #1 as an example of a scientific question, and using the axes provided on the answer sheet, a. draw a graph that shows data that would support your alternative hypothesis. b. draw data that shows data that would support your null hypothesis. Make sure to use an appropriate type of graph and to label the axes correctly (including units!) a) Alternative hypothesis b) Null hypothesis3 ¼ point for each variable (i.e., independent v. dependent) on the correct axis ¼ point for including the correct units for each variable. 1 point for data that depicted correctly the alternative hypothesis 1 point for data that depicted correctly the null hypothesis If your study tested some other hypothesis (that made sense), if the alternative and null predictions still were represented appropriately, you received full credit. 6. (2pts) Scientific knowledge is gained by: a. disproving hypotheses b. proving hypotheses c. both a and b d. neither a nor b 7. Science and reliable knowledge. (8 pts) The results from multiple scientific studies that address the same scientific question or hypothesis do not always agree. For example, one study produces data that suggest that chocolate is beneficial to your health, and another study produces data that suggest that chocolate is not beneficial to your health. a. How can different studies investigating the same question produce different results? (Assume that all scientists follow the scientific method and conduct their studies very carefully.) Even though different groups are investigating the same question, they may not test it exactly in the same way, and therefore may get different results (e.g., test milk chocolate v. dark chocolate). Or, they may conduct the test in the same way, but they may use different tools to make observations (e.g., naked eye v. microscope) which may lead to different conclusions. b. Given that multiple studies can produce different results, why does knowledge generally increase when more people (or research groups) investigate the same question? (2 pts) i) If the multiple studies produce similar results, we feel more certain about a particular alternative hypothesis being a likely explanation for a question ii) Having multiple research groups investigating the same question increases the ability to develop and test many different alternative hypotheses and therefore rule out certain alternative hypotheses, thereby potentially narrowing in on the more likely alternative hypotheses. iii) Also, different groups might develop better methods to test the same hypothesis. You didn’t have to have all of these answers; they are examples. c. Despite the reality that multiple studies can produce different results, why is the scientific method still considered a valid way of obtaining reliable knowledge? (2 pts) The results of a given study are reliable given the specific conditions and assumptions of the study or experiment. i) The scientific method is a structured, organized process v. guessing and checking or trial and error, by which one can rule out hypotheses.4 ii) Most importantly, because data are collected to test the hypotheses, evidence exists to support or refute a hypothesis, rather than opinion or hearsay. And, evidence can be
View Full Document
Unlocking...