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PY3002 Integrative Physiology The Scientific Method in Physiology

Lecture Objectives. To know how to apply the scientific method in order to define and test physiological problems.To know how to find sources of information and how to use them.To know how to present and communicate information.. Hypothesis-driven research. The Hypothetico-deductive Approach to Re

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PY3002 Integrative Physiology The Scientific Method in Physiology

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    1. PY3002 Integrative Physiology The Scientific Method in Physiology Dr Derek Scott

    3. Hypothesis-driven research

    6. Where do I find out about my topic of interest?

    11. Choosing subjects for a study on effects of smoking on respiratory function

    12. How do I analyse my data?

    14. Remember, the more subjects (n) you measure, the more accurate your average is likely to be, but it is often not feasible to repeat an experiment more than a few times. Try and make each measurement more than once on each subject/cell/preparation because organisms are dynamic, and readings may change e.g. blood pressure. Different types of study require different n numbers e.g. it may be enough to do an experiment 4-5 times on isolated cells if the results are very similar, but drug/exercise trials may require 10s-100s of volunteers to obtain accurate, reproducible data. How many subjects and how often do I measure?

    18. What is the scatter of data? (aka how wrong can my average value be?) Standard deviation or Standard error of the mean s.e.m. is smaller so is often used by scientists to make their error bars look smaller! Data distribution Normal or skewed? Selection of appropriate statistical tests

    19. What type of experiments should I do?

    27. Finally. If you are unsure, then ask! (especially true during your Honours project next year) You can avoid many problems during a literature or laboratory research project by using a bit of common sense. Preparation and planning is everything it can save you banging your head against the wall in frustration or rushing at the end of a project to get it finished. Do the research and know your stuff find an angle that gets you excited (cheesy I know, but it does help!) Have a look at examples of Honours projects on the School of Medical Sciences website (look in Undergraduate teaching, then Honours) to see what kind of things people study and how they describe their projects.

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