Scientific Method

• the scientific method allows scientists to make predictions and test them to see if they are true or false
• this process allows scientists: curiosity, skepticism, open-mindedness, and creativity
• this process is non-linear and a non-iterative because there are an infinite number of possible combinations of the variables
• a hypothesis is a scientific explanation for multiple observations to prove whether those observations support your idea
• a controlled experiment is where the IV is manipulated and the DV is measured
• a control group is a group of participants who are not exposed to the experimental variable
• the independent variable is the variable that is manipulated by the researcher to see how it affects the dependent variable
• the dependent variable is the variable that is measured by the experimenter and is the outcome of the experiment
• the controlled variables are the variables that are kept constant throughout the experiment, so they can be manipulated to see how they affect the dependent variable
• DRY MIX is an acronym to show what variable corresponds with what axis: DRY: dependent, responding, y-axis and MIX: manipulated, independent, x-axis
• a theory in science means a set of ideas that explain a phenomenon and predicts future observations