Investigating Science HSC revision- module 7 fact or fallacy

This course covered a scientific study published in 1991 claiming a link between hormone replacement therapy and coronary heart disease. Which factor related to the participants did this study NOT take into account?

• Age

• Gender

• Socioeconomic status

• Existing health conditions

A skin care company is looking to employ a popular sports person to promote its new acne cream in television advertisements. This company has recently received negative reviews about some of its other products. Which row in the table identifies the type of effect the company is utilising for the promotion and the reason for this strategy?

• Halo effect- Consumers ignore negative reviews due to a positive association with the company.

• Halo effect- Consumers ignore negative reviews due to a positive association with the sports person.

• Hawthorne effect- Consumers ignore negative reviews due to a positive association with the company.

• Hawthorne effect- Consumers ignore negative reviews due to a positive association with the sports person.

Which of the following is NOT a benefit of the scientific peer review process?

• Improved quality of research papers

• Improved reporting of science in the media

• Improved base of evidence for future research

• Improved networking opportunities among research groups

Highly-regarded science journals accept less than 10% of the papers presented for publication. What is the final step required before a newly presented paper is to be published?

• A. Peer review

• B. Replication of the results

• C. Validation of the investigation

• D. Management of all the processes involved in an investigation

Iridologists claim to be able to diagnose health conditions. Which statement supports iridology being considered a pseudo-science?

• A. Iridology is widely practised by naturopaths in many countries.

• B. Available data from iridologists support its use as a diagnostic tool.

• C. A recent review of 77 papers submitted by iridologists showed most investigations were conducted without a control group.

• D. Patients diagnosed with inflamed gallbladder disease using iridology were later confirmed by subsequent surgery to have the disease.

Why could the claim made by the company be considered misleading?

• A. There is no control group in the experiment.

• B. The reduction in cholesterol levels according to the averages provided is 0.6 mmol L–1.

• C. The people taking the supplement may have been unknowingly influenced by the Hawthorne effect.

• D. The initial blood cholesterol levels of the participants in each group were not taken into consideration.

The purpose of a placebo in a scientific investigation is to

• A. act as a control.

• B. increase the number of participants.

• C. ensure no bias is demonstrated by researchers.

• D. compare the effectiveness to previous medication used.

A researcher wants to determine the efficacy of a new medication intended to treat a condition by conducting a double-blind trial on a group of people who suffer from the condition. The group of people involved in the trial are randomly assigned to be in Group A or Group B.

How should this trial be conducted?

• A. The researcher allocates a placebo to Group A and the medication to Group B.

• B. The researcher allocates a placebo AND the medication to Group A and allocates a placebo AND the medication to Group B.

• C. Placebos are allocated to Group A and the medication is allocated to Group B, without the researcher knowing what allocations have been made.

• D. Placebos AND the medication are allocated to Group A and placebos AND the medication are allocated to Group B, without the researcher knowing what allocations have been made.

A parent purchases a music book for their child who is learning to play an instrument. They choose a more expensive book that has the picture of a popular recording artist on the cover rather than a similar book with a plain cover. What does the perception behind this purchase illustrate?

• A. The halo effect

• B. The Mozart effect

• C. The butterfly effect

• D. The accordion effect

What factor could reduce the effectiveness of the peer review process of a research paper about a particular dinosaur’s diet?

• A. The inability to study samples of the dinosaur’s diet

• B. Too few newspaper articles about the dinosaur’s diet

• C. A lack of experts on the subject of the dinosaur’s diet

• D. A poor reference list in the paper about the dinosaur’s diet