Pseudoscience

High school (ages 12+)
Thinking & Learning

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/pseudoscience

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the defining characteristic?Presents itself as scientific but lacks empirical validation, methodological rigor, and falsifiability
2. Why do people believe in pseudoscience?People may be drawn to it because it uses science words, looks like research, or promises easy answers. It can also play on fears or lack of knowledge.
3. How can we tell if something is real science or pseudoscience?Real science asks testable questions, does controlled experiments, shares results with other scientists, and changes ideas when new evidence appears. Pseudoscience usually uses stories, no experiments, and refuses to change.

Falsifiability: The criterion that a scientific hypothesis must be capable of being proven false through empirical testing.
Epistemology: The branch of philosophy concerned with the theory of knowledge, including its scope, validity, and methods.
Confirmation Bias: The tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one's pre-existing beliefs or hypotheses.
Anecdotal Evidence: Evidence based on personal accounts rather than on objective, verifiable data or controlled studies.