Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Misconception About Scientific Process

Taylor Bouchard
Misconception About Scientific Process
It is a well known fact that the human brain is split into two halves: the right side and the left side. The right side of the brain is known for being intuitive and working with pictures and creativity, while the left brain is more analytical, and focuses on words, numbers, and facts (“Left Brain Vs Right Brain”). A common misconception about the human brain is that these two hemispheres seldom work in harmony, but in fact, this is not the case. These two parts of the brain work together nearly every chance they get. For example, when one looks at a house, the left brain helps in picking out specific pieces (windows, doors, etc.) while the right brain assists in things like the building's contours and the overall appearance (@PsychToday). The same principal can relate both the scientific method and the creative process to one another. Though one may think that the two are polar opposites that do not attract, the creative process is more necessary in the scientific process than one may think.
The scientific method is a way of conducting an experiment in order to answer a specific question. One must come up with a question, which would be researched and tested in the experiment. A hypothesis would be created as well which would establish the predicted outcome of the experiment. After the experiment itself had been done, data would be collected to determine whether or not the hypothesis could be accepted ("Steps of the Scientific Method."). The same tends to apply for the creative process.
In the creative process, one will start with a hunch: a hypothetical idea for a piece. From there they would get the word out about their idea, as well as finding muses for their projects. This can be done in the form of going to art museums, theater shows, etc. The actual creation of the piece requires trial and error. One will find things that they love, and things that they hate, and they will accommodate that in the piece by taking the time to improve its flaws and emphasize its high points. Only then, after countless hours of hard work, will the project be complete (Popova, Maria).
As it can be seen by the amount of similarities in the two processes, the creative process is definitely required in the scientific method. The creative process assists in suggesting new ideas when something has backfired, helping select word choice in lab write ups, and helping to figure out what to do better next time to improve the experimental design. For example, if Johnny were to be adding salt to an enzyme to see how it affected the reaction rate, and the increments he was adding salt in did not vary the data in any way, he might try adding them in greater or lesser amounts to change his results and see how those compare. The creative mind is required for both experimental design and to determine what will be done if failure occurs.
Because of their many cross overs in steps, it is clear to see that science does indeed require creativity. Science itself would cease to exist if people weren’t coming up with ideas on what to test and how to test it. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.  It is being emphasized now more than ever: if the results of an experiment were not expected, go back and try it again, after figuring out what was done wrong and how to fix it (@NewsFromScience). And even in scenarios where it is a student being handed a paper with exact instructions, they must creatively come up with writing pieces about it when they are done collecting data. From entire processes of experimental design, to determining how to design a poster board or what colors to make a graph, creativity is necessary in the processes of science.
Works Cited
"Left Brain Vs Right Brain." UCMAS. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2016.
@NewsfromScience. "If You Fail to Reproduce Another Scientist's Results, This Journal Wants
to Know." Science | AAAS. N.p., 04 Feb. 2016. Web. 21 Dec. 2016.
Popova, Maria. "The 10 Stages of the Creative Process." Brain Pickings. N.p., 28 Sept. 2015.
Web.
21 Dec. 2016.
@PsychToday. "Left Brain, Right Brain: Two Sides, Always Working Together." Psychology Today.
N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2016.
"Steps of the Scientific Method." Science Buddies. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2016.

6 comments:

  1. Hey Taylor! Your introduction was really creative and cool. It brought me into the idea in a way that wasn't bland and being like "hey guess what, imagination and science mix." Especially as someone in psychology, this intro pulled me in. I also like that you brought in the potato lab. For your audience, (bio homies) this makes a lot of sense.It was interesting that you didn't use historical stuff (which I think a lot of people probably did) but it was still effective nonetheless.

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  2. Great essay! I really enjoyed your comparison between artwork and the scientific method. I believe that these similarities do exist, and your decision to include them helped to show the things that they have in common. If you don't succeed, try try again is a great way to describe both methods, and I overall found your work to be very solid. Your incorporation of the right and left brains was an interesting addition, and I liked it!

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  3. I really liked your arguments about the left side and right side of the brain, as well as how the scientific process compares with the creative process. These were really unique ways of looking at this topic and made your argument nice.

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  4. I really liked this essay, Taylor! I love love the introduction, it's really unique and is a great segue into the rest of your essay. For us, adding the part about the potato lab is easy to relate to and adds a lot to your argument.

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  5. I really enjoyed reading your essay because it was so different! I liked your incorporation of the left and right side of the brain, and also how you noted that, while in school, labs are often kind of cookie cutter, a student must be creative with their write ups. I had yet to see either of those points made yet!

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  6. The connections you made with the scientific process and sides of the brain was a unique approach! It is important that these two sides collaborate which is why we can't live with only one half of our brain :) I liked that your brought in work we do in our own lab, but what other examples are out there of discoveries or research that can also lend credibility to your argument?

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