levo

Water and Carbon Cycles

Data Misuse and Research Ethics

  • 3 things to know
  • Component 1

Overview

Recall questions on how graphs and selective data can mislead, why correlation does not prove causation and why secondary sources should be questioned, and on informed consent, anonymity, confidentiality and representing communities in research.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started
Process

Why should the source of secondary data be questioned?

Key term

What is informed consent in geographical research?

Process

Why might some groups be under-represented when collecting data about a community?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Give two ways a graph can misrepresent data.

    Model answer

    A vertical axis that does not start at zero can exaggerate small differences, and inconsistent scales between graphs can make unlike changes look alike.

  2. 2

    Why does a strong correlation not prove that one variable causes another?

    Model answer

    Both variables may be linked to a third factor, or the relationship may be coincidence, so a causal mechanism must be explained using geographical understanding.

  3. 3

    How can selective use of data mislead?

    Model answer

    Choosing only the time period, places or statistics that support an argument, and leaving out those that contradict it, gives a false impression of the overall pattern.

  4. 4

    Why should the source of secondary data be questioned?

    Model answer

    The organisation that produced it may have a purpose or bias, and its methods, date and sample may not suit the question being investigated.

  5. 5

    What is informed consent in geographical research?

    Model answer

    Making sure that people taking part in questionnaires or interviews understand the purpose of the research and agree freely to take part, with the right to withdraw.

  6. 6

    Why must anonymity and confidentiality be protected when collecting data about communities?

    Model answer

    Personal or sensitive information could identify individuals and cause them harm or embarrassment if published or shared.

Other ways to work this

The same content, four other ways.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

1Closed book
2Open book
3Closed book

The 3-step method, run for you

Answer cold, learn it, then prove it stuck. Levo tracks the jump between your first attempt and your last.

Water and Carbon Cycles
Hot Desert Systems and Landscapes
Coastal Systems and Landscapes
Glacial Systems and Landscapes

Cram a whole paper in one sitting

Sort every topic into what you know and what you do not, then drill only the weak ones.

China and .
IndiaAustraliaJapan

Blank Blitz makes facts automatic

Rapid timed gap-fills on the terms and numbers you need to recall without thinking.

AThe horns have less sand volume, so they move more quickly.
BSand is transported up the gentle windward slope via saltation.
CSand accumulates at the crest.

Build It gets the exam shape right

Assemble a full-mark answer from its marking points, in the order an examiner wants them.

Weathering means breakdown of rock in place.
TrueFalse

Test It catches misconceptions

Spot the fault in a statement. The traps are the mistakes students actually make.

721941163128510

Brain Breaks between sessions

Short focus games to reset attention, so the next set lands better than the last.

Every question in Water and Carbon Cycles, on a schedule.

Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.

Or £46 a year, about £3.83 a month. Cancel anytime.