Don’t Believe Everything About Science Online: Revisiting the Fake Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus in an Introductory Biology College Course

Abstract

Evaluating the veracity and reliability of online media in science is an integral part of developing critical skills in science. Moreover, first year biology courses provide an avenue for students to acquire these skills for academic success. This study evaluated whether students (n = 90) exposed to an apparently credible website were able to distinguish whether a species existed as part of two short online activities. Surprisingly, a high number of students (90%) did not question the species in the initial activity and assumed it was real. However, most as part of the second assessment did report it was false (92.2%). Some students failed to recognize the species as fake and thought the species was real (7.8%), even after watching a parody or satirical video on YouTube. All students agreed that critical thinking in science is important and the majority of students gave positive feedback on the activity. Potential explanations for students’ inability to adequately assess information include students completing the assignment quickly and lack of further research. This activity is recommended to expose first year biology majors to critical thinking skills and accurate assessment of online information in science.