Unit 1 Introduction to� Science in the News
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Introduction to Science in the News
In this course you will learn how to make sense of science in the news! But what does this mean?
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Introduction to Science in the News
In this course, you will learn how to critically evaluate evidence so that you can better understand scientific claims and make better, evidence-based decisions. In other words, you will learn to think like a scientist!
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Introduction to Science in the News
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Specifically, when you see claims like these, you will be able to better judge if the scientific evidence supports those claims.
Introduction to Science in the News
Let’s go over an example where understanding science is important for everyday decisions.
Allison’s brother, Gavin, enjoys listening to music.
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Example
But his mom overhears profanity in his favorite songs. She had previously read online that listening to music with profanity makes teens more aggressive, so she doesn’t want Gavin listening to music with profanity.
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Example
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What’s wrong Gavin?
Mom took my headphones because she read online that music with profanity makes teens like me more aggressive.
Example
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Example
Hm, let’s look up the article she read.
Listening to Music with Profanity Makes Teens Aggressive, Study Shows
Does listening to music with profanity make teens more
aggressive? Researchers at the University of Nevada
conducted a study to answer this question. They asked
parents to rate their teens’ (ages 14-16) level of aggressive
behavior. The research team also asked the teens
how frequently they listened to music with profanity.
On average, the more frequently teens listened to
music with profanity, the higher their aggression ratings were.
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Science News
Example
Example
After reading the article, do you think Allison can convince her mom to give Gavin his headphones back?
What should she say to their mom?
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Example
Example
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This study shows that there is an association between listening to music with profanity and being aggressive. This means that the two variables are related, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that music with profanity CAUSES aggression.
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Example
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I think there could be another reason
why the researchers found this association.
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Example
Maybe aggressive teens are more likely to listen to music with profanity.
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Example
Maybe teens with less parental guidance listen to a lot of music with profanity and are also more aggressive.
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Example
Example
There could be many reasons why this association exists!
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Example
Example
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Example
Example
I realize that your sister is right. The two of you came up with alternative explanations for why the article I read is not necessarily true.
Just because things are associated with each other doesn’t mean they’re causal…
I guess you can have your headphones back.
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See how critically evaluating evidence can help you make
the case?
Are there things other people say are good (or bad) for
you, and you’re not really sure if their claims are accurate?
Can you give some examples of a claim that you are
skeptical of that you’d like to investigate further?
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Are there claims that you are simply curious about?
Can you give an example of a claim that you are curious about?