1. 10-23-2017 Cambridge – Quiz; Empirical Evidence

2. Do Now 5 minutes to prepare for the quiz.
Sharpen pencils, get out silent reading book, review notes
Set up your privacy folders

3. Quiz Instructions 15 minutes to complete the quiz.
Read the directions carefully.
No talking
No getting up without permission
Keep your eyes on your own work
When you are finished, raise your hand and Mr. Santos will come to collect your quiz. Then, silently read.

4. Anecdotal Evidence
Anecdotal Evidence: Evidence based on stories, not data
Based on a story of someone’s experience, often just a single example.
People are often drawn to anecdotal evidence that supports something they already believe.
Scientists do not value anecdotal evidence because it is not based on data that are collected in an objective way.

5. Anecdotal Evidence Example
Read the provided story. What makes it a good example of anecdotal evidence?
Oral record is being used as evidence for the existence of the Loch Ness monster in Scotland. While many “sightings” of the monster have been recorded, evidence for its existence remains largely anecdotal.

6. Anecdotal Evidence (cont.)
The Nessie story is an example of the kind of anecdotal evidence we might see or hear on TV or the Internet.
Anecdotal evidence may be gathered to verify a case or suggest a conclusion.
A problem with this kind of evidence is that often it either represents what the presenter wants you to hear or relies on unproven data.

7. Practice: With your shoulder partner, identify the following evidence as either empirical evidence or anecdotal evidence
Kerry collects data showing that one day after flies land on meat, maggots appear.
A controlled experiment shows that if flies are prevented from landing on meat, maggots do not appear.
Mary had a box of rags. Mice formed out of it.
Maggots simply appeared on a piece of meat Jim left out.
Maggots kept in a laboratory and observed matured into flies.
Moths were made from blankets stored in Grandma’s attic.
Aaron saw frogs appear from only mud and water after a flood.
Researchers detect tiny frog eggs when studying a pond.

8. Practice: With your shoulder partner, identify the following evidence as either empirical evidence or anecdotal evidence
Empirical Evidence
Anecdotal Evidence
Kerry collects data showing that one day after flies land on meat, maggots appear.
A controlled experiment shows that if flies are prevented from landing on meat, maggots do not appear.
Maggots kept in a laboratory and observed matured into flies.
Researchers detect tiny frog eggs when studying a pond.
Mary had a box of rags. Mice formed out of it.
Maggots simply appeared on a piece of meat Jim left out.
Moths were made from blankets stored in Grandma’s attic.
Aaron saw frogs appear from only mud and water after a flood.

9. Example: Watch the following video about autism research and answer the following questions.
How did the researchers pursue a scientific explanation for autism? What kind of investigation did they perform?
They gathered DNA samples from hundreds of children with autism and compared their DNA to find similarities between children with autism; they performed a comparative study.
What empirical evidence supported their explanation?
Studying DNA samples from hundreds of children with autism.
Was there any anecdotal evidence that supported their research?
Yes, the story about Dove’s symptoms