HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (2) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hiebert, S. M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Hiebert, S. M.

TEACHING IN THE LABORATORY

The strong-inference protocol: not just for grant proposals

Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania

Address for reprint requests and other correspondence: S. M. Hiebert, Dept. of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA 19081-1390 (e-mail: shieber1{at}swarthmore.edu)

The strong-inference protocol puts into action the important concepts in Platt's often-assigned, classic paper on the strong-inference method (10). Yet, perhaps because students are frequently performing experiments with known outcomes, the protocols they write as undergraduates are usually little more than step-by-step instructions for performing the experiment. The strong-inference protocol, however, includes an explicit statement of possible experimental outcomes and the interpretation that would follow from each. This approach encourages thorough planning, enhances the efficiency of experimental designs, and increases the power of statistical analysis by explicitly stating a priori predictions as well as the statistical methods that will be used to test them. A sample protocol for an experiment investigating temperature-metabolism relations in chicken embryos is provided to illustrate the important components of the strong-inference protocol and to encourage instructors to incorporate this powerful research tool into undergraduate laboratory courses.

Key words: experimental design; multiple hypotheses; teaching

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. M. Hiebert Teaching simple experimental design to undergraduates: do your students understand the basics? Advan Physiol Educ, March 1, 2007; 31(1): 82 - 92. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. M. Hiebert and J. Noveral Are chicken embryos endotherms or ectotherms? A laboratory exercise integrating concepts in thermoregulation and metabolism Advan Physiol Educ, March 1, 2007; 31(1): 97 - 109. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]