Prior beliefs and the interpretation of scientific results

Prior beliefs and the interpretation of scientific results

Blog Article

How do prior beliefs affect the interpretation of scientific results? I discuss a hypothetical scenario where researchers publish results that could either support a theory they believe in, or refute that theory, and ask if the two instances carry the same weight.More read more colloquially, I ask if we should overweigh scientific results supporting a given theory and reported by a researcher, or a team, that initially did not support that theory.I illustrate the challenge using two examples from psychology: evidence accumulation models, read more and extra sensory perception.