There's one course I took in High School that I still use daily, and that was arguably the most helpful class I ever took:
Research Methods.
Everyone should have to take a class like this.
Research Methods.
Everyone should have to take a class like this.
It was basically a semester of reading scientific research papers and trying to parse them for the takeaways.
Was this a well-done study?
Are the conclusions valid?
How was it done?
What were the conflicts?
What're the caveats?
Did it replicate?
Was this a well-done study?
Are the conclusions valid?
How was it done?
What were the conflicts?
What're the caveats?
Did it replicate?
When you take a class like this you realize a few things:
1. Almost no one reports scientific research accurately.
If you're reading or watching the news talk about science you don't really have any idea what's going on because they have no idea what they're talking about.
1. Almost no one reports scientific research accurately.
If you're reading or watching the news talk about science you don't really have any idea what's going on because they have no idea what they're talking about.
2. A lot of research is not actually that useful or informative.
Small sample sizes, weird sample groups, bad controls, poor follow-ups, unreliable subject compliance, the list of things that invalidate papers to one extent or another is long.
Small sample sizes, weird sample groups, bad controls, poor follow-ups, unreliable subject compliance, the list of things that invalidate papers to one extent or another is long.
3. It's not that hard to read this stuff.
Once you get a few reps in, you can get pretty quick at parsing research papers.
And once you learn, you have no excuse to get info from anywhere besides PubMed, SciHub, etc.
Once you get a few reps in, you can get pretty quick at parsing research papers.
And once you learn, you have no excuse to get info from anywhere besides PubMed, SciHub, etc.
4. Public awareness lags research, often by decades.
We knew cigs were bad 10-20 years before it was public knowledge.
Same for trans fats.
Now we're seeing this with veg oil & fake foods.
We knew cigs were bad 10-20 years before it was public knowledge.
Same for trans fats.
Now we're seeing this with veg oil & fake foods.
5. You can find a research paper to back up any belief you want to have.
There is published research "proving" that whole Autism link. But guess what? It's extremely shitty research! Hilariously bad in fact.
But it exists. And that's enough for people to say "science says!"
There is published research "proving" that whole Autism link. But guess what? It's extremely shitty research! Hilariously bad in fact.
But it exists. And that's enough for people to say "science says!"
6. A LOT of research does not replicate. Maybe most of it.
This is what we're seeing with a lot of the psychology & decision science field now. It just doesn't hold up. But it's great for selling books.
This is what we're seeing with a lot of the psychology & decision science field now. It just doesn't hold up. But it's great for selling books.
I'd encourage everyone to get in the habit of trying to find and read any research paper you see being reported on.
Don't trust a blogger or reporter to interpret research for you.
Learn how to do it yourself, so you can have a more accurate understanding of what's going on.
Don't trust a blogger or reporter to interpret research for you.
Learn how to do it yourself, so you can have a more accurate understanding of what's going on.
Also for anyone asking I went to @goChoate for high school.
10x better investment than my time in college at Carnegie Mellon IMO.
I’d highly encourage my kids to go to boarding school. Not necessarily college.
10x better investment than my time in college at Carnegie Mellon IMO.
I’d highly encourage my kids to go to boarding school. Not necessarily college.
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