During a Field Trip, an Instructor Touched a Moth Resting

question 58

Multiple Choice

During a field trip, an instructor touched a moth resting on a tree trunk. The moth raised its forewings to reveal large eyespots on its hind wings. The instructor asked the students why the moth lifted its wings. One student answered that sensory receptors had fired and triggered a neuronal reflex culminating in the contraction of certain muscles. A second student responded that the behavior might frighten predators. Which of the following best characterizes these hypotheses?

• A) The first explanation is correct, but the second is incorrect.
• B) The first explanation refers to proximate causation, whereas the second refers to ultimate causation.
• C) The first explanation is testable as a scientific hypothesis, whereas the second is not.
• D) Both explanations are reasonable and simply represent a difference of opinion.

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Definitions:

Variable Group

A set of elements or entities that are subject to change and can be measured and analyzed within a study.

Confound Group

A group in an experiment that introduces variability to the outcome, making it difficult to determine the effect of the treatment.

Experimental Group

In an experiment, one or more treatment groups of participants that receive the manipulation of the independent variable being investigated.

Random Assignment

Placing research participants into the conditions of an experiment in such a way that each participant has an equal chance of being assigned to any level of the independent variable.