§-Quick questions
NSWInvestigating ScienceModule 7: Fact or Fallacy?
Quick questions on Science versus pseudoscience: HSC Investigating Science Module 7
15short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What are characteristics of scientific claims?Show answer
A scientific claim has these characteristics:
What is science can be wrong?Show answer
A common confusion: scientific claims can be incorrect, but science as a process self-corrects through peer review and replication. Pseudoscience can occasionally produce correct claims (a stopped clock is right twice a day) but lacks the systematic process that makes its successes reliable. The distinction is methodological, not about who happens to be right today.
What are boundary cases?Show answer
Some claims sit at the boundary.
What is 1. Falsifiability?Show answer
It can in principle be proven wrong by some observation or experiment.
What is 2. Empirical basis?Show answer
Supported by evidence collected through observation or experiment.
What is 3. Peer review?Show answer
Subjected to expert scrutiny before publication in reputable journals.
What is 4. Replicability?Show answer
Independent researchers can repeat the methods and obtain similar results.
What is 5. Provisional and self-correcting?Show answer
Updated when new evidence emerges; willing to revise core claims.
What is 6. Mechanistic explanation?Show answer
Provides a plausible cause linked to broader scientific knowledge.
What is 7. Quantitative?Show answer
Makes specific, measurable predictions where possible.
What is 8. Open methodology?Show answer
Methods are described so others can evaluate and reproduce them.
What is 1. Unfalsifiable?Show answer
No conceivable observation could disprove the claim. Defenders explain away contrary evidence.
What is 2. Anecdotal evidence?Show answer
Personal testimonials rather than controlled studies.
What is 3. No peer review?Show answer
Self-published, marketed directly to consumers.
What is 4. Not replicable?Show answer
Methods vague, proprietary or impossible to follow.