Wednesday, December 15, 2010

The Truth Wears Off: Is there something wrong with the scientific method?

via the The New Yorker, byJonah Lehrer

[fascinating stuff, and very relevant to our work. a must read]

In the late nineteen-nineties, neuroscientist John Crabbe investigated the impact of unknown chance events on the test of replicability. The disturbing implication of his study is that a lot of extraordinary scientific data is nothing but noise. This suggests that the decline effect is actually a decline of illusion. Many scientific theories continue to be considered true even after failing numerous experimental tests. The decline effect is troubling because it reminds us how difficult it is to prove anything.


Read more of the summary [subscription required for the full article]


[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]

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