Show:
Testing Claims
Trials & Controls
Correlation & Causation
Media & Pseudoscience
Peer Review & Fraud
100
Testing manufacturers’ claims
What Classroom IQ1 focus involves checking a manufacturer’s product claim with evidence?
100
To compare against the treatment group and show what happens without the tested factor
What is a control group used for in an experiment?
100
No — that is correlation, not necessarily causation
If two variables rise together, does that prove one causes the other?
100
Claims that are untestable, ignore contrary evidence, or lack proper peer review (accept equivalent)
What is one hallmark of pseudoscience?
100
Independent experts check methods and conclusions, improving quality and catching errors
What is one benefit of peer review?
200
Sampling chocolate investigation (IQ1 L2)
What investigation style uses a chocolate sampling task to explore sampling issues?
200
An inactive treatment given so participants don’t know whether they received the real intervention
What is a placebo?
200
An extra factor that affects results and can create a false appearance of causation
What is a confounding variable?
200
A positive impression in one area unfairly boosts trust in unrelated claims
What is the halo effect in judging scientific or product claims?
200
Career pressure to publish frequently, which can incentivise poor practice or rushed work
What does “publish or perish” pressure refer to?
300
Emotive claims rely on feelings/persuasion; evidence-based claims are supported by reliable data and reasoning
What is the difference between an emotive claim and an evidence-based claim?
300
Neither participants nor researchers interacting with them know who received the treatment or placebo
What does a double-blind trial mean?
300
Media and product claims often treat linked trends as proof of cause
Why do Module 7 case studies emphasise distinguishing correlation from causation?
300
Media may simplify, sensationalise, or omit methods/uncertainty that peer-reviewed papers include
Why can popular media reporting differ from peer-reviewed scientific reporting?
300
A situation where personal, financial, or professional interests could bias research or reporting
What is a conflict of interest in science?
400
Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning
What does a CER scaffold ask students to provide?
400
They limit expectation effects and researcher influence on results
Why do placebos and blinding reduce bias in testing claims?
400
Extreme points can strengthen, weaken, or distort an apparent relationship
How can outliers affect the interpretation of a correlation?
400
Disagreement can be framed as equal sides even when evidence strongly favours one position
How can scientific debates in the media confuse public understanding?
400
No — it helps but can miss fraud, flawed data, or biased reviewers; replication still matters
Can peer review always stop fake science? Why or why not?
500
A biased or too-small sample can make results look supportive even when the claim is weak
Why is sample selection important when testing a manufacturer’s claim?
500
Funding, incentives, or public pressure can bias design, reporting, or which results are emphasised
How can societal or economic pressures affect data collection or interpretation in trials?
500
Plausible mechanism, dose–response, temporal order, controlling confounders, or replicated experiments (any one clear criterion)
Name one criterion that helps argue causation rather than mere correlation.
500
Loose wording (e.g. “proves”, “toxic”, “natural”) can overstate or misrepresent the evidence
Why does careful use of scientific terms matter when evaluating claims in the media?
500
Fraud and poor publication incentives can spread false claims and reduce trust in science
How are scientific fraud, publication practices, and public trust connected?