How to not be effected by the hype or the band wagon effect in science.
- Can experiments detect differences that matter?
- Does the study show causation or correlation?
- What is the mechanism?
- How much do experiments reflect reality?
- Could anything else explain the results?
Everyone who shapes, edits and publishes scientific content carries a responsibility to remain as unbiased and nuanced as possible. While a critical scientist may catch the flaws in a colleague’s study, someone with less specialized knowledge likely will not. If you can follow the five questions above you have a good chance of avoiding the hype or bandwagon effect. Most people don’t think about the extensive scientific studies that hide behind media reports, but that shouldn’t be a problem. Responsible science journalism brings important findings to the public so that they don’t have to.
I would like to point out the importance of knowing the difference between causation and correlation.
We experience the world in a time-oriented manner through cause and effect. First Lucy ate that white berry, then she became sick. It is logical enough on the surface. Often, it seems clear that a specific action caused a second event to happen. This is what is known as causation. Many events appear to be the results brought about by identifiable causes, and the human mind is geared to look for these cause/effect relationships.
Correlation is when two or more things or events tend to occur at about the same time and might be associated with each other, but aren’t necessarily connected by a cause/effect relationship. For instance, in sick people, a runny nose and a sore throat correlate to each other–they tend to show up in the same patients. That doesn’t mean runny noses cause sore throats, or that sore throats cause runny noses, however. Forgetting that leads to sloppy thinking and thus sloppy assumptions.
To avoid the hype on a certain research or scientific topic and remain unbiased it is essential to remember these five questions and see if you can apply them to your situation. unbiased fact based science is good science. Good science is how we innovate and keep progressing as a society so when we assume that everything we read is true or we don’t remember that correlation does not imply causation. Humans are evolutionarily predisposed to see patterns and psychologically inclined to gather information that supports pre-existing views, a trait known as confirmation bias. Avoiding bias in science is key to avoiding the band wagon.
