Scientific Thinking

In Class

Learn to participate.

Getting to know everyone in class makes it:

Fun

Comfortable

Make new friends

Learn to present infront of class

Research Methods

Deductive method

Inductive method

Paradigm

Wrong Sciences

Pseudo science

Junk science

Bad science

Pathological science

Fallacies for Baloney detection

Ad hominem.

Argument from authority.

Argument from adverse consequences.

Appeal to ignorance

Special Pleading.

Begging the question.

Observational selection

Statistics of small number

Misunderstanding of the nature of statistics

Inconsistency

How to think critically:

Clarity

Acuuracy

Breadth

Relevance

Depth

Tools of Critical thinking

Skepticism

How to be skeptical:

Independent confirmation of facts

Knowledgable debate

More than 1 hypothesis

Do not get attached to your hypothesis

Ask if hypothesis is falsifiable

Separate variables.

Rationalism

Empiricism

No wishful or hopeful thinking

Science can be bad or good depending on how we use it.

Example of bad: Forging paintings

Example of good: Trying to discover forged paintings.

Example of good: Analysing whether photo was manipulated or not. (Dr. Hani Farid)

5 experimental techniques

Natural observation

Survey

Experimental

Correlation

Case study

Scientific Method

Observation.

Hypothesis.

Predict results.

Test.

Repeat.

Formulate a theory.

Different technologies

Use Mindomo.

Use Timelines.

How to use powerpoint.

Design Scientific Experiment

Make a Hypothesis.

Dependent variable

Independent Variable

Controlled variable

Control group, 100 people minumum.

Results

For hypothesis to be reliable:

Empirical

Measurable

Repeatable

Testable

Quantitative

Unbiased

Main topic

Mohamed Ashraf AbdElGhany, Rana Zamzam