Scientific and Mathematical Literacy 
1) What is the difference between pseudoscience and scientific evidence?
Pseudoscience: anything being presented, as scientific but is not. Usually characterized by exaggerations, UN falsifiable claims, and anecdotes.
Scientific Evidence: A process of inquiry followed by a body of knowledge.
2) Describe 3 main types of scientific inquiry: 3 types of scientific inquiry.
Descriptive: what’s out there? Observing, no manipulations of variables
Comparative: Seeks to describe relationships and correlations between variables
Experimentation: Uses scientific method. Manipulation of variables under controlled conditions in order to infer cause and affect relationships
Researcher forms a hypothesis
Manipulates a variable of interest,
Records and analyze results
Tries to make a conclusion regarding the hypothesis 3) What does correlation does not mean causation mean? Correlation does not mean causations means just because there is a connection between two variables doesn’t mean they are the cause of each other. It is important to understand because as a member of the general public, I may think the answer to a specific issue is solved/simple just by seeing a similarity or connection when in fact I’m not seeing all the other variables or reasoning etc.
4) How is information disseminated from primary research in a lab down to the general public?
Scientific Investigations
Peer reviewed Scientific Journals
(Primary research articles)
Peer reviewed Scientific Journals
(Research review articles)
Popular science magazines/textbooks
Popular press (newspapers, magazines, television, internet)
5) What is the difference between mass media sources and scholarly sources? What are the differences between primary research articles and review articles?
A review article is a secondary source that is written about other articles and does not report original research of its own.
A primary research article reports the methods and results of an original study performed by the
Pseudoscience: anything being presented, as scientific but is not. Usually characterized by exaggerations, UN falsifiable claims, and anecdotes.
Scientific Evidence: A process of inquiry followed by a body of knowledge.
2) Describe 3 main types of scientific inquiry: 3 types of scientific inquiry.
Descriptive: what’s out there? Observing, no manipulations of variables
Comparative: Seeks to describe relationships and correlations between variables
Experimentation: Uses scientific method. Manipulation of variables under controlled conditions in order to infer cause and affect relationships
Researcher forms a hypothesis
Manipulates a variable of interest,
Records and analyze results
Tries to make a conclusion regarding the hypothesis 3) What does correlation does not mean causation mean? Correlation does not mean causations means just because there is a connection between two variables doesn’t mean they are the cause of each other. It is important to understand because as a member of the general public, I may think the answer to a specific issue is solved/simple just by seeing a similarity or connection when in fact I’m not seeing all the other variables or reasoning etc.
4) How is information disseminated from primary research in a lab down to the general public?
Scientific Investigations
Peer reviewed Scientific Journals
(Primary research articles)
Peer reviewed Scientific Journals
(Research review articles)
Popular science magazines/textbooks
Popular press (newspapers, magazines, television, internet)
5) What is the difference between mass media sources and scholarly sources? What are the differences between primary research articles and review articles?
A review article is a secondary source that is written about other articles and does not report original research of its own.
A primary research article reports the methods and results of an original study performed by the