Lesson: how to read a study
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A one-hour lesson on telling strong evidence from weak: the method, the traps, and famous results that did not hold up.
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The method
The traps
Results that did not hold up
Fact
The Scientific Method
Fact
Peer Review
Proven
The Randomised Controlled Trial
Fact
Sampling
Fact
Correlation
Proven
Simpson's Paradox
Proven
Regression to the Mean
Contested
Statistical Significance
Proven
Bayes' Theorem
Fact
The Normal Distribution
Contested
The Replication Crisis
Contested
The Stanford Prison Experiment
Contested
Stereotype Threat
Contested
Growth Mindset
Contested
The Implicit Association Test
Contested
The Flynn Effect
Checklist 1. Who was studied, and how many? A result from 30 students may not hold for everyone.
Checklist 2. Was there a control group, and were people assigned at random?
Checklist 3. Does it show a link, or a cause? Most headlines skip this step.
Checklist 4. Has anyone else found the same thing?
Question
Pick a health headline from this week. Which checklist step does it fail?