A scientist wants to know how individual lions within a pride interact with each other in their own environment.

Question

To do this, the scientist sedates and tags all of the lions within a pride. Then, he places several remotely-controlled video cameras near the lions' den and performs an observational field study. He collects continuous video footage over the span of one year, analyzes the video, and then forms conclusions based on his observations.

This example shows that
A.
observational field studies are not a valid form of scientific investigation.
B.
there is only one way to acquire scientific knowledge.
C.
not all scientific knowledge is gained through controlled laboratory experiments.
D.
conditions and variables are best controlled in observational field studies.

Answer 1

The correct answer is C. not all scientific knowledge is gained through controlled laboratory experiments.

This example demonstrates that researchers can gather valuable scientific insights through observational methods in natural settings, rather than solely relying on controlled lab experiments.