Making Arguments In Science

Dr. Peggy Brickman&

Dr. Sarah Jardeleza

Prior to this class you were asked to answer the following questions:

1. Give an example of a scientific field of study.2. Explain what is done in a scientific field that

makes it science.3. Give an example of pseudoscience:4. For your pseudoscience example, explain what is

done in this field that makes it pseudoscience:5. If you were to read a media article about science,

what is the most important factor influencing your categorizing it as science vs. pseudoscience?

Doctor2%

Chemistry27%

Biology34%

Geology7%

Entomology4%

Psychology4%

Marine Biology2%

Herpetology2%

Astronomy2%

Ecology2%

Genetics2%

Cognitive Science2%

Horticulture2%

Microbiology2%

Pharmacy2%

Not answered5%

Natural Science2%

Answers for Scientific Fields of Study

Characteristics of scientific fields of study?

• e.g. = biology, engineering, bioinformatics, etc.• tangible, research-based, scientific method,• published by reputable sources/peer-reviewed• experimentation, observations, hypotheses, • controlled variables, reproducibility, innovative,• testable, collecting data, using surveys, etc.

What is pseudoscience?

• How can you be sure that what you use to make decisions is actually science and not pseudoscience?

• What is the difference between the two?• How can knowing the difference and being able to

distinguish between the two help you to be a better informed consumer and citizen?

Red circles = scienceNo circles = pseudoscienceYellow circles = neither science nor pseudoscience

Astrology44%

Paranormal activity2%Psychology

4%Freudian Psychoanalysis

2%Creation Science

4%

Phrenology6%

Alchemy8%

Eugenics2%

Acupuncture2%

Biorhthyms2%

Extra terrestrials/aliens10%

Parapsychology2%

Earth Flat2%

Emriotic cell research2%

Fortune Telling2%

Homepoathy2%

Scientology2%

Etymology2%

Political Science2%

Answers to Pseudoscientific Fields of Study

Characteristics of pseudoscientific fields of study?

• e.g. = numerology, acupuncture, astrology, etc.• Based on assumptions, beliefs, and correlations not

supported by evidence or experimentation methods• Biased/opinionated, not duplicated or quantifiable.• The underlying mechanism is not investigated• But, in some cases, experiments are conducted.

How would you know if the results were proven scientifically? (words in the article, source of article, peer-review, credentials of author)

How does this issue affect your lives?

• According to a recent Pew survey, 61% of American adults look online for health information

• Misinformation/information for everyday decisions– Are all types of fish safe to eat?– Should you get vaccinated?– Do all chemotherapy treatments work the same way?– Should you take oral birth control?

• Could lead to bias or superstition without knowing all necessary data

• Could you be spreading misinformation just talking to your friends and family?

Project #1: Assignment Testing Claims• You will pick an example you have seen in the media which

made some claim (e.g. nutritional supplement, diet treatment, bioengineered food, sugar substitute, current food fad, etc. that relates to biomolecules in your body.

1. Step 1: Agree on a topic by the end the class today2. Step 2: Each of you will need to go online and search for

sources on that topic.Each of your should bring in a printed annotated bibliography of 5 sources (Websites, articles, references) to the next class. We will have a science librarian on site to help you refine your searches.

3. Step 3: You will then use the best of these different sources associated to your topic to complete a rough draft.

Example: Aspartame: The Silent Killer• Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that has been used in food and drinks all over the world

since 1974 when first approved by the FDA, and has been studied extensively since its first synthesis in 1965. There are many who claim the artificial sweetener aspartame is very dangerous. Dr. Janet Hull claims that there are over 92 different health risks associated with aspartame, including blindness, tinnitus, seizures, depression, high blood pressure, nausea, irritability, and brain tumors. With over 200 studies on aspartame, it is one of the most studied food additive in history. When the FDA first approved aspartame it stated that "Few compounds have withstood such detailed testing and repeated, close scrutiny, and the process through which aspartame has gone should provide the public with additional confidence of its safety." Since then the FDA approved aspartame 26 times in a 23 year period. There has been no definitive study that has led the majority of the scientific community to think that aspartame as any adverse side affects. The 92 health issues that Dr. Hull had listed have never been proved through any test or experiment. Even the Senior Medical Advisor for the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation Dr. David Squillacote says that the claims of it causing MS is completely unfounded and continues to cite multiple studies that refute all of deleterious claims about aspartame. 200 mg is average amount of aspartame in a regular soft drink. Normal men have been given up to 10,000 mg of aspartame with no side affects. Even infants have been given equally massive amounts of aspartame and suffered no side effects. Furthermore when aspartame breaks down due to high temperatures it has been suspected that its components are carcinogenic but no study has ever shown this to be true. Aspartame is a perfectly safe artificial sweetener.

Making a Scientific Argument• Claim: statement/hypothesis you are asking another

person to accept• Evidence: grounds for your claim, your source or

data that lend support or refute the claim• Warrant: justification that shows the validity for

your claim and provides an explanation (why do the data/source you have supplied mean your claim is true? Are your data/source contestable, substantive, reliable, are they relevant?)

• Claim: statement/hypothesis you are asking another person to accept– Identify (underline) the claim from the Aspartame piece

• Evidence: grounds for your claim, your source or data that lend support or refute the claim

• Warrant: justification that shows the validity for your claim and provides an explanation (why do the data/source you have supplied mean your claim is true? Are your data/source contestable, substantive, reliable, are they relevant?)

Making a Scientific Argument

• Claim: statement/hypothesis you are asking another person to accept

• Evidence: grounds for your claim, your source or data that lend support or refute the claim– Identify (underline) the evidence in the aspartame piece.

• Warrant: justification that shows the validity for your claim and provides an explanation (why do the data/source you have supplied mean your claim is true? Are your data/source contestable, substantive, reliable, are they relevant?)

Making a Scientific Argument

• Claim: statement/hypothesis you are asking another person to accept

• Evidence: grounds for your claim, your source or data that lend support or refute the claim

• Warrant: justification that shows the validity for your claim and provides an explanation (why do the data/source you have supplied mean your claim is true? Are your data/source contestable, substantive, reliable, are they relevant?)– Identify (underline) the warrant in this example

Making a Scientific Argument

Example: Aspartame: The Silent Killer• Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that has been used in food and drinks all over the world

since 1974 when first approved by the FDA, and has been studied extensively since its first synthesis in 1965. There are many who claim the artificial sweetener aspartame is very dangerous. Dr. Janet Hull claims that there are over 92 different health risks associated with aspartame, including blindness, tinnitus, seizures, depression, high blood pressure, nausea, irritability, and brain tumors. With over 200 studies on aspartame, it is one of the most studied food additive in history. When the FDA first approved aspartame it stated that "Few compounds have withstood such detailed testing and repeated, close scrutiny, and the process through which aspartame has gone should provide the public with additional confidence of its safety." Since then the FDA approved aspartame 26 times in a 23 year period. There has been no definitive study that has led the majority of the scientific community to think that aspartame as any adverse side affects. The 92 health issues that Dr. Hull had listed have never been proved through any test or experiment. Even the Senior Medical Advisor for the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation Dr. David Squillacote says that the claims of it causing MS is completely unfounded and continues to cite multiple studies that refute all of deleterious claims about aspartame. 200 mg is average amount of aspartame in a regular soft drink. Normal men have been given up to 10,000 mg of aspartame with no side affects. Even infants have been given equally massive amounts of aspartame and suffered no side effects. Furthermore when aspartame breaks down due to high temperatures it has been suspected that its components are carcinogenic but no study has ever shown this to be true. Aspartame is a perfectly safe artificial sweetener.

Where’s the warrant?• Issues:

1. We can’t tell if the evidence supports or refutes the claim unless the warrant is explicitly stated to explain, “Why do the data/source supplied mean the claim is true? Is the data/source substantive, reliable, relevant?”

2. We can’t evaluate the quality of the evidence without knowing the exact source.

3. How can we evaluate the quality of a source?

How can we find out if sources are “good”?

• Let’s brainstorm about this and write our ideas up on the “board”…– established scholarly journal (peer-reviewed!)– up-to-date information– verifiable from other sources, backed up with other data– is the person (author) an expert?– unbiased– research and data to back it up– Transparency– not vague/detailed/specifics involved

CRAP Test (My favorite test!)

• Currency• Reliability• Authority• Purpose (Point of View)

http://www.workliteracy.com/the-crap-test

CRAP Test (My favorite test!)

• Currency– How recent is the information?– How recently has the website been updated?– Is it current enough for your topic?

• Reliability• Authority• Purpose (Point of View)

http://www.workliteracy.com/the-crap-test

CRAP Test (My favorite test!)

• Currency• Reliability– What kind of information is included in the resource?– Is content of the resource primarily opinion? Is it

balanced?– Does the creator provide references or sources for data

or quotations?• Authority• Purpose (Point of View)

http://www.workliteracy.com/the-crap-test

CRAP Test (My favorite test!)

• Currency• Reliability• Authority– Who is the creator or author?– What are the credentials?– Who is the publisher or sponsor?– Are they reputable?– What is the publisher’s interest (if any) in this

information?• Purpose (Point of View)

http://www.workliteracy.com/the-crap-test

CRAP Test (My favorite test!)

• Currency• Reliability• Authority• Purpose (Point of View)– Is this fact or opinion?– Is it biased?– Is the creator/author trying to sell you something?– Are there advertisements on the website?

http://www.workliteracy.com/the-crap-test

Helpful Websites to decide CRAP!• Crap Detection 101 http

://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/rheingold/detail?entry_id=42805

• Detecting Bull chapter descriptions & Introduction http://www.detectingbull.com/toc.htm

• No Website Author Listed? Use this! http://www.easywhois.com/

• Is the doctor or Ph.D. really an expert in this field?http://chronicle.com/stats/productivity/

• Is this a scam, a hoax or is someone deceiving me? (Snopes.com : FactCheckED.org : Factcheck.org)

• Questioning Video (http://questioning.org/jun09/video.html)

• Download Health Check on Google Taskbar http://scienceroll.com/2009/05/20/health-information-online-how-to-check-the-quality/

• Health on the Net Honor Code https://www.hon.ch/

Search good Science and how to cite…

• Google Scholar (okay, but be sure to check CRAP)

• Web of Science http://apps.isiknowledge.com.proxy-remote.galib.uga.edu/WOS_GeneralSearch_input.do?product=WOS&search_mode=GeneralSearch&SID=2EJhLMBi2HA7h1JahPD&preferencesSaved=) also available on Galileo through UGA Library site

• Library and science journals or books (science library is very close to this building!) http://www.libs.uga.edu/)

• Citation Format Instructions http://library.osu.edu/help/research-strategies/how-do-i-cite-references/cse-citation-guide/) – use this to cite references for all your group projects! More in class on Friday with our science librarian.