The concept of hypothesis testing and the scientific
method is typically presented to
students within the United States for the first time
when they are in the fourth grade.Students learn the fundamentals of the scientific
method as they develop a research
project, conduct an experiment that tests their
hypothesis, and present their results in
a poster format at a Science Fair.Posters are judged at regional Science Fairs based
on their adherence to the scientific method.Cash prizes and ribbons are awarded to
encourage the students in their first rigorous attempt
at science.
Recently, I had the opportunity to be a judge at one of
the science fairs, and the
thorough approach and professionalism of some of the
projects impressed me.I could
not view the posters, however, without occasionally
breaking into a large smile over
the naivete and candor of these fledgling 10-year-old
scientists.I recall the young child
whose hypothesis was that mold grows faster in warm
environments.He tested his
hypothesis by determining how long it took bread to
turn moldy when stored under
his bed, compared to bread kept in a refrigerator.Pictures of the refrigerator and his
bed, proudly displayed on his poster, made me wonder
what his mother's first
response must have been when he asked to convert the
dark, warm, underside of his
bed into a fungal factorynot to mention her tolerance of what he wanted to do to
her clean refrigerator.
Yet, as I searched for a properly stated hypothesis
within each poster, I began to
think of my own research and the rigor, or lack
thereof, with which I apply hypothesis
testing to the problems I address.On further reflection, I sensed that a lack of
hypothesis testing is perhaps more common in
radioecology than those of us deeply
rooted in the discipline might want to admit.It seems that we more often report yet
another concentration ratio, or invoke yet another
correlation coefficient, neither of
which delineates causation or gives much aid to our
understanding of the mechanismsinvolved.
SREL Reprint #2468
Hinton, T. 2000. Strong inference, science fairs, and
radioecology. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity 51:277-279.
