Use the following prompts to guide your responses (these are just suggestions, you do not need to respond to all of them, they are just meant to help you think about the course material).
What is your reaction to the John Oliver show?
What does the John Oliver show make you think about?
How might news reports or discussions on a talk show about a scientific study influence the audience’s behavior or attitudes regarding a health issue?
What are some things researchers can do to make lay-persons understand their studies/results more easily?
What are some things those in the media can do to make sure they are not spreading false information?
Do you have other examples of research studies reported on TV or News – are they flawed? accurate? easy to follow? Are results plausible? How else could the results be interpreted? What were the limitations of the study?
After reviewing the research characteristics what are your views on the social science research process?