Chapter 1: Scientific Thinking
Clicker Questions by Kristen Curran, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Science and the implications of science impact my daily life.
1. Strongly agree
2. Agree
3. Neutral
4. Disagree
5. Strongly disagree

An advertisement for a well-known brand of acetaminophen reads:
“Doctors recommend (brand name) more than all other brands of pain relievers combined to reduce fever and for the temporary relief of minor aches and pains due to headache, muscular aches, backache, arthritis, the common cold, toothache, and menstrual cramps.” This statement may or may not be true, but given the fact that ibuprofen can treat pain and inflammation but can lead to stomach problems, why might doctors recommend this product for the ailments above?
1. The ailments are due to pain not associated with inflammation.
2. The ailments are due to pain associated with inflammation.
3. Ibuprofen cannot treat the types of pain listed above.
4. Ibuprofen causes drowsiness.

Which answer below does not exemplify knowledge gained through empirical testing?
1. Sugar tastes sweet.
2. The sky looks blue during the daytime.
3. I can smell freshly popped popcorn from a distance.
4. A rabbit
’ s foot can bring good luck.

Which question below can be addressed by using the scientific method?
1. How do salmon migrate great distances yet return to spawn and die in the stream/river of their birth?
2. Do antibacterial soaps kill more bacteria then soap alone?
3. Do all living creatures have a soul?
4. Choices 1 and 2 are correct.

Which statement or question below is a hypothesis for the validity of eyewitness testimony?
1. Is eyewitness testimony always correct?
2. Eyewitness testimony is always correct.
3. If eyewitness testimony is always correct, then DNA and physical evidence should support the story of the eyewitness.
4. None of the above.

Which statement below restates our hypothesis about the validity of an eyewitness as a null hypothesis?
1. Eyewitness testimony is always correct.
2. Eyewitness testimony may or may not be correct.
3. Eyewitness testimony is always incorrect.
4. Eyewitness testimony must be corroborated with physical evidence.

Which prediction below follows from the hypothesis that ibuprofen decreases inflammation?
1. If a patient suffers from a fever, then taking ibuprofen will reduce the fever.
2. If a patient sprains their ankle, then taking ibuprofen can decrease the swelling.
3. If a patient suffers from a cut or scrape, then taking ibuprofen can be used to relieve the pain.
4. If a patient suffers from nausea, then taking ibuprofen will relieve the nausea.

Classroom Catalyst
Design a simple experiment
How would you decide what brand of fertilizer is the most effective at growing bean plants?

In the experiment that you designed, how did you propose to confirm that the variable you were testing would have any effect?
1. Compare the variable to an untreated sample.
2. Compare the variable to a known/expected outcome.
3. Compare the variable to another variable.
4. Choices 1 and 2 are correct.

If you wanted to test if antibacterial soap worked better than regular soap, which answer has the strongest experimental design?
1. Have people in the experiment wash with antibacterial soap first and later with regular soap and compare.
2. Have two groups of people wash with either antibacterial soap or regular soap and compare.
3. Have two groups of people wash with either antibacterial or regular soap, without knowing which type of soap is being used, and compare.
4. Have two groups of people wash with either antibacterial or regular soap, with neither the researchers nor the groups knowing which type of soap is being used, and compare.

What is the average range of scores for students who do not use textbooks while studying?
1. 90 to 100%
2. 95%
3. 55  65%
4. 65%

Do you think that understanding the world we live in using science necessarily contradicts other ways of knowing, such as philosophy, religion, and art?
1. Strongly agree
2. Agree
3. Neutral
4. Disagree
5. Strongly disagree