BIOL 115 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Standard Deviation, Scientific Method, Deductive Reasoning
Document Summary
Humans are most closely related to apes, but are distinguished from apes by: highly developed brains, completely upright stance, creative language skills, ability to use a wide variety of tools. Humans and apes have a common ancestor. Culture activities and items passed down from one generation to the next: beliefs, values and skills, arts and sciences. The biosphere spans the surface of the earth, into the atmosphere and down into the soil and seas. Science a way of knowing about the natural world. Scientists should be objective (factual), not subjective (involves judgement) The scientific process uses the scientific method: a standard series of steps. Develop a hypothesis: a possible explanation for the observation, inductive reasoning when someone uses creative thinking to combine facts into a cohesive whole. Scientists use deductive reasoning to test the hypothesis ( if, then logic) Good experimental design includes an experimental variable and responding. Also need to include test groups and a control group (dependent) variable.
