IDS 400 ( week 5)

Module Five Introduction

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Module Five

Learning Objectives By the end of this module, you will meet these learning objectives:

Module Overview "Certain people—men, of course—discouraged me, saying [science] was not a good career for women.

That pushed me even more to persevere." 

— Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, virologist who won the 2008 Nobel Prize 

in Physiology and Medicine (as quoted in Rogers, 2018)

Educational lenses are different ways of looking, seeing, analyzing, and communicating about the world

around you. As we learned in a previous module, historians see everything in timelines: how a topic was

before compared to how it is now. A scientist, in contrast, examines the materials something is made from,

the processes it goes through, the physical contexts it is in, and what it literally is or is becoming. NNaattuurraall

aanndd aapppplliieedd sscciieenncceess include everything from physics and chemistry to engineering and computer science.

The common thread that links all branches of the sciences is the scienti�c method. 

The sscciieennttii��cc mmeetthhoodd is a logical, step-by-step process through which scientists carry out their

investigations. It can be used to address research questions or to solve everyday problems. The scienti�c

method starts with an individual’s curiosity about why or how something works the way it does in our

natural world. From this initial curiosity, a question is formed. The purpose of a rreesseeaarrcchh qquueessttiioonn is to

narrow a broad topic of interest into a speci�c area of study. It provides the framework for your research,

guiding how you develop hypotheses and choose methods to collect evidence.

For example, you might be curious about the effect of caffeine on your sleep habits. So you formulate a

question such as, “Does caffeine make it harder to get to sleep?” The second step is to research the topic to

Analyze a topic in diversity through the natural and applied science lens

Explore the impact of bias on STEM research and professional experiences

Describe how bias may impact personal perceptions

Examine the personal impact of critically analyzing topics in diversity

Listen

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determine what scientists already know. Then, an educated, testable guess—or a hhyyppootthheessiiss—can be made

in the form of an “if/then” statement. A hypothesis for your caffeine question could be, “If I drink coffee

before going to bed, then I will not be able to fall asleep.” Testing the hypothesis can now begin. Testing

provides the scientist with the information needed to accept, or prove, the hypothesis or reject the

hypothesis and go back to the drawing board to revise the initial idea. 

Scientists test their hypotheses using rreesseeaarrcchh mmeetthhooddss.. Research methods are the tools, tests, and

procedures of analyzing an outcome that a scientist uses to explore their hypothesis. There are numerous

ways a scientist might approach collecting and analyzing data. The methods they choose will depend on the

discipline they are in and the hypothesis they are testing. In the sciences, most research questions focus on

describing, explaining, or testing. Some scienti�c questions also focus on evaluating. Since we include the

applied sciences—such as engineering, technology, and computer science—within this lens, we would also

add questions about whether the method actually works.

Additionally, two key parts of the scienti�c method are review by other experts in the �eld (known as ppeeeerr

rreevviieeww) and the ability for discoveries to be reproduced by others (known as rreepplliiccaattiioonn). These two

important aspects of the scienti�c method allow scienti�c results to be continuously evaluated for accuracy

and usefulness. This is how scienti�c knowledge is developed and progress is made.

BBiiaass iinn RReesseeaarrcchh

Understanding concepts of diversity and bias within the study of science is essential for the development of

knowledge and societal progress. Diverse populations of scientists practicing inclusive research result in a

more equitable society. But scienti�c research is only as objective as the people involved. There are many

opportunities for bias to creep in.

Scienti�c research is typically very expensive, and scientists depend on universities, grants, and industry to

fund their projects. One major source of potential bias in the sciences is who funds research and has a vested

interest in the outcomes. For example, there is some evidence that drug research sponsored by the

pharmaceutical industry and nutrition research sponsored by the food industry are more likely to favor the

drug or food under consideration than studies sponsored by government grants or independent

organizations (Bero, 2016). In other instances, the funding agency only publishes the parts of a study that

support their initiatives. Typically, scientists are not intentionally being unethical in these situations. Many

scientists are unaware of their potential bias. Also, some scientists experience subtle pressure to interpret

data in particular ways.

The competition to gain funding and sustain a positive reputation increases bias within scienti�c cultures.

Adrian Wenner (1990) describes the competitive nature of scientists and their resistance to push past their

own beliefs and assumptions: “considerable pressure can be exerted on those who begin to propose

alternative hypotheses to accepted thought—the human side of the scientist rises to the fore” (p. 196).

Funding of research is only one source of potential bias. There are many others, including a scientist’s own

beliefs and values in�uencing what they study and how they study it, the research that is chosen for

publication in scienti�c journals, and the presentation of data such as “rounding” numbers. These examples

demonstrate the importance of developing scienti�c inquiry skills in order to question and evaluate sources

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demonstrate the importance of developing scienti�c inquiry skills in order to question and evaluate sources

of information. 

Scientists view the natural and physical worlds from their own perspectives. So it becomes important to ask

questions: Who is developing new scienti�c research? How diverse are the samples of research subjects?

Are there diverse voices in the development and coding of software? Whose bodies are reported about for

the development of new medical procedures? Including multiple populations in science matters because it

affects what is investigated and how research is conducted. Who isn’t doing science is equally important.

Many groups of people are underrepresented in the natural sciences, and so their perspectives are not

contributing to the �eld. A striking example of this is when NASA sent Sally Ride into space in 1984, the male

engineers asked if 100 tampons would be enough for her 1-week trip. This suggestion indicates an absence

of understanding women’s biology that could result in actual harm in certain contexts. 

Beyond the ways in which bias affects the research itself, bias also exists in how the results of the research

may be used and by whom. Often, research results are simpli�ed and repurposed for a popular audience

rather than the intended scienti�c one. For example, think about times you have read in a magazine article or

blog post the following: “A recent study found ….” When this happens, the research is not necessarily

thoroughly reviewed or examined in relation to other studies that might challenge its �ndings. Therefore, it

is also important to ask how science is being used, whether in textbooks and media reports or by

governments and independent organizations.

To understand how scienti�c methodology relates to diversity, we must assess the role of objectivity in

science and how it relates to beliefs, assumptions, and values. OObbjjeeccttiivviittyy is a principle of the scienti�c

method that asks scientists to set aside their own opinions, biases, and emotions when conducting research.

This can enhance the credibility of the research and ensure its replicability and validity. But this principle

raises interesting questions such as these: What makes a scienti�c claim objective? Can objectivity actually

be attained? Should we even strive for it? Developing scienti�c inquiry skills will help you ask critical

questions.

References

Bero, L. (2016, November 1). Essays on health: How food companies can sneak bias into scienti�c research.

The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/essays-on-health-how-food-companies-can-

sneak-bias-into-scienti�c-research-65873

Rogers, S. (2018, March 8). 25 Quotes from powerful women in STEM who will inspire you. Interesting

Engineering. https://interestingengineering.com/25-quotes-from-powerful-women-in-stem-who-

will-inspire-you

Wenner, A. M., & Wells, P. H. (1990). Anatomy of a controversy: The question of a “language” among bees.

Columbia University Press.

Module at a Glance This is the recommended plan for completing the reading assignments and activities within the module.

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This is the recommended plan for completing the reading assignments and activities within the module.

Additional information can be found in the module Resources section and on the module table of contents

page.

Review all module resources.11

Participate in the Module Five discussion.22

Complete the Module Five activity.33

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Activity Details

Read this information to get started on your module.

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