Pranathi Vallabhu
ANTH240
10/8/2023
Scientific Process Worksheet
Choose only one of the six observations below
.
Indicate your choice by circling, bold, or highlighting it.
1. Children from low-income homes show evidence of malnutrition.
2. In most humans, the right humerus (upper arm bone) is larger than the left one.
3. Pregnant mothers who smoke tend to have smaller babies than mothers who do not smoke.
4. Chimpanzees living in zoos tend to be overweight compared to their relatives living in the
wild.
5. Children are born after about nine months of pregnancy.
6. Some plants move in response to the sunlight.
Without using anything but your own mind, come up with two different hypotheses to
explain the observation you chose. Make sure the two hypotheses are not similar to each
other. Include what your hypothesis is and why you think that is the answer (I think
....
Because...).
Hypothesis 1: I think children from low-income homes show evidence of malnutrition because
their families are struggling to afford fresh and healthy food options.
Hypothesis 2: I think children from low-income homes show evidence of malnutrition because
the stress of living in poverty may lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms and a less healthy diet.
In paragraph form: Describe how you would test these hypotheses, including a
discussion of the methods and variables for obtaining evidence and the kinds of
evidence that you would need to find to both refute and support each hypothesis. Write
one paragraph per hypothesis.
Hypothesis 1: I would test this hypothesis by using a sample of low-income children versus
high-income children, preferably in a similar area. The independent variable here is income and
the dependent variable is malnutrition rate. The research would involve monitoring the nutrition
intake of all of the children over a few months and perhaps measuring the malnutrition rate by
taking periodic blood tests and BMI. Evidence that would support the hypothesis would show
that children in higher-income families would have higher BMIs and healthier blood test results,
showing that they are getting more nutrition because of their income. To refute the hypothesis,
there would be no link found between income and malnutrition in the children.
Hypothesis 2: To test this hypothesis, I would use a sample of low-income children and assess
their stress levels and diets over the course of a few months. The independent variable here
