SCIENTIFIC METHOD

Attitudes of Scientist
1. Curiosity
2. Open-mindedness
3. Perseverance
4. Humility

5. Intellectual Honesty
6. Patience
7. Resourceful

8. Skepticism
9. Objectivity
 Observation and Inference
Observation – When we can clearly identify things by
using our five senses, we speak of observation.
When we can hear, smell, see, touch, or taste things,
we know those things are real. That’s when we can
make observations based on realities.
Inference – When we make guesses or assumptions
based on evidence from observations or from prior
knowledge, we can make inferences. These are
educated guesses or assumptions.
 Examples of Observations

 Observations are things we can see, hear, and

so on. These are factual things not based on
assumptions or guesses.
 We can see, for example, that some animals
have four legs while others have, for example,
big ears.
 We can see that some animals have fur or
whiskers, while some other animals come with
beautiful golden color or are white underneath.
 Examples of Inferences

  If we would state that an animal can hear very

well because of its large ears or can hide well
from its prey due to its camouflage, we are
assuming that to be so. We are guessing in an
educated way. We are inferring, not merely
observing!
 When looking at animals with fur, we may
think or assume that they may live in colder
climates as the fur will protect them from snow
and low temperatures. We are inferring!
The difference between Observations and Inferences

 A good explanation would be that, again, observations

are related to things you can sense: see, hear, smell,
taste, or touch. Inferences are things related to events
or persons you think or decide about after you have
observed them.
 So making an inference has to do with deriving
rational conclusions from circumstances or facts during
observations. So we can say that observations are
objective while inferences are subjective.
 Observations are what you notice or perceive, while
inferences are assumptions or explanations of what
you have seen or perceived.