Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ The Truth Wears Off

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community
Anyone involved in research should read this article in the New Yorker documenting a phenomenon whereby interesting research results seem to 'wear off' over time when (and if) researchers attempt to replicate them. This phenomenon, reports the author, represents a systematic bias in research toward positive results, a bias exaggerated by the preferences of funders and the decisions of journal referees. Consequently, many phenomena believed today may be nothing more than statistical noise, and the sweeping changes in practice recommended as a result nothing more than a waste of resources. Via @gsiemens.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Nov 23, 2024 3:55 p.m.

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