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book What Is Life? 2nd Edition by Jay Phelan cover

What Is Life? 2nd Edition by Jay Phelan

Edition 2ISBN: 978-1464102448
book What Is Life? 2nd Edition by Jay Phelan cover

What Is Life? 2nd Edition by Jay Phelan

Edition 2ISBN: 978-1464102448
Exercise 1
Anecdotal evidence:
A) is a more efficient method for understanding the world than the scientific method.
B) tends to be more reliable than data based on observations of large numbers of diverse individuals.
C) is a necessary part of the scientific method.
D) is often the only way to prove important causal links between two phenomena.
E) can seem to reveal links between two phenomena, but the links do not actually exist.
Explanation
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Anecdotal observations is when observations from a very small, select test group are used to make correlations between two things. A classic case of anecdotal observations came in 1998 when a correlation was drawn between the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism. There were only 12 children in study group who all had autism and had all developed an inflammation of their bowels. It took until 2011 to perform legitimate studies and completely disprove the finding that giving your child the MMR vaccine could cause autism. During that time, many thousands of infants went without the MMR vaccine.
The correct Answerto this question is e) can seem to reveal links between two phenomena, but the links do not actually exist.
Anecdotal observations are an incorrect way to make correlations. The Answerto a) is incorrect.
One of the reasons that anecdotal observations are an incorrect way to make correlations is because they use such a small test group. The larger and more diverse the test group, the more reliable the results are. The Answerto b) is incorrect.
Anecdotal observations are not part of the scientific method. The Answerto c) is incorrect.
Anecdotal observations do not offer accurate links between two phenomena. The Answerto d) is incorrect.
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What Is Life? 2nd Edition by Jay Phelan
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