The Scientific Method
The prediction of a possible answer to a problem or a question that can be tested via the scientific method
What is a hypothesis?
Information that directly or indirectly references a specific geographical area or location
What is spatial data?
Research that alters variables in a test group and compares the response to a control group not exposed to those conditions
What is an experimental study?
The ability to find and evaluate quality of information
What is information literacy?
Skills for assessing the quality and value of information
What is critical thinking?
The procedure scientists use to empirically test a hypothesis.
What is the scientific method?
Developing and studying methods for collecting, analyzing, interpreting and presenting empirical data
What is statistics?
Information detected with senses or scientific equipment and tools
What are empirical observations?
The ability to evaluate digital sources of information
What is media literacy?
Arguments that attempt to sway an audience without reasonable evidence
What are logical fallacies?
The process by which external experts evaluate the quality of a scientist's work
What is peer review?
Two or more variables fluctuating in relation to each other
What is a correlation?
Conclusions drawn based only on observations.
What are inferences?
Origin of data presenting original or first-hand information
What is a primary source?
Extraneous information that does not directly support a claim, but may lead to confusion or lack of clarity
What is a red herring?
A widely accepted explanation for a natural phenomenon that has been extensively and rigorously tested
What is a theory?
A statistical analysis technique used to select, process, and analyze a representative subset of a population
What is data sampling?
The entity in an experiment evaluated to see if its value changes due to a treatment
What is a dependent variable?
Automatic, unintentional, learned beliefs that one is often unaware of that may negatively affect critical thinking
What is personal bias?
An argument that sets up an invalid either/or choice
What is a false dichotomy?
A series of steps that are repeated with the goal of improving and refining a product or outcome during each step
What is an iterative process?
The two parts of a data set: one contains the information of interest, the other is made up of errors and variations
What are signal and noise?
An empirical study used to estimate the causal impact of an intervention on a target population without random assignment
What is a quasi or pseudo experiment?
Tendency to process information by looking for, or interpreting, information that is consistent with existing beliefs.
What is confirmation bias?
The use of the reputation, high profile or expertise of an information source as the sole or primary reason to support an argument
What is an appeal to authority?