BIOL 2000H Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Dependent And Independent Variables, Lab Report, Complex Dynamics
Document Summary
Biol 2000 lecture 6 how to write a lab report. Introduction: provide necessary background to explain the causal question, its origins, and its importance, explain hypothesis of interest and its rationale, briefly explain how it was tested and what the main predictions are. Methods: not a simple recounting of what you did in lab, should clearly identify the independent variables, the response variables, and the control variables, should place this information in context of how hypothesis was tested. Experiments can focus on one organism or a whole system. Experimental tests: manipulates one variable and records response of another, tries to control other variables that potentially affect response variable. Isolates variable of interest and provides very strong support for or against a particular hypothesis: positives; Useful for questions with variables that can be manipulated easily. Usually easy to interpret results: negatives; Can cause unintended effects on test subjects. Not useful for some types of questions.
