tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post2132469904866732447..comments2023-10-15T04:23:50.187-04:00Comments on College Misery: Research vs. anecdotes (from SMBC)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-8583342221108335982011-02-21T20:28:01.635-05:002011-02-21T20:28:01.635-05:00@Miserable: I think there's an exemption for t...@Miserable: I think there's an exemption for things that are very funny, take up less than a screen's worth of space, and provoke good discussion (maybe even just 2 of those 3). In this case, at least as far as I'm concerned, Ben's description of the various sources from which a hypothesis can arise alone would be worth the price of admission. I just wish I dared to quote CM Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-89732707918108804782011-02-19T17:24:29.342-05:002011-02-19T17:24:29.342-05:00OTOH, years ago, I (and others) saw a number of ex...OTOH, years ago, I (and others) saw a number of extremely serious local reactions to a particular drug when administered IM rather than IV. Both were on the label as approved administration options.<br /><br />We contacted the manufacturer, and were told it had nothing at all to do with the drug. Perhaps we were all incompetent and did not administer it correctly.<br /><br />Today, if you look atIyrrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06272150097841691708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-36299573691565481222011-02-19T17:19:16.618-05:002011-02-19T17:19:16.618-05:00Trust me, I deal with animal owners on a regular b...Trust me, I deal with animal owners on a regular basis.<br />I am well aware of the bizarre leapfrogging right over logic that occurs.<br /><br />Every new drug that comes on the market is responsible for death and dysfunction in their eyes.<br /><br />Oh, and I charge too much. They can get it cheaper online...Iyrrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06272150097841691708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-90066910040679679092011-02-19T15:48:49.415-05:002011-02-19T15:48:49.415-05:00Anecdotal evidence, a hunch or a bad dream caused ...Anecdotal evidence, a hunch or a bad dream caused by eating too many hot wings can all be ways to start research. Hypotheses come from somewhere. The issue is that some people treat these sources of hypotheses as results strong enough from which to draw conclusions. They skip the middle part of the scientific method.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-39108209950344508652011-02-19T13:31:42.277-05:002011-02-19T13:31:42.277-05:00I guess what I'm saying is that I think anecdo...I guess what I'm saying is that I think anecdotal reports often supply a place to *start* looking at a phenomenon, and I think that's worth something.<br /><br />I agree that they ought not to be anywhere near the finish line.Iyrrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06272150097841691708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-7254627022340156292011-02-19T11:36:22.701-05:002011-02-19T11:36:22.701-05:00@Faris - That still means it's not valid. It ...@Faris - That still means it's not valid. It is no more valuable as a starting point for experimentation than "I had an idea." That certainly might be useful in terms of stimulating experimenter creativity, but it has no value in establishing the validity of a concept in any broader sense.Ricardushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12509014656411177638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-20685742540761715362011-02-19T09:35:38.858-05:002011-02-19T09:35:38.858-05:00Aaaaaaauuuuuugggggghhhhhh...POW!!!!!!!Aaaaaaauuuuuugggggghhhhhh...POW!!!!!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-14332611612270822212011-02-19T09:20:51.199-05:002011-02-19T09:20:51.199-05:00I get tired of hearing that anecdotal evidence is ...I get tired of hearing that anecdotal evidence is not valid.<br />It certainly can be, and it can be the starting point for designing a rigorous experiment.<br /><br />I think of it as low grade ore rather than 24K gold. <br />Lots of impurities, low yield.Iyrrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06272150097841691708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-19681938476189408532011-02-19T08:37:51.338-05:002011-02-19T08:37:51.338-05:00If one more person tells me that vaccines made the...If one more person tells me that vaccines made their kid autistic, my head will explode. <br /><br />Backstory: Someone once told me that I should "understand" this point of view because I do "qualitative" research. I had to explain the difference between actual scientific rigor, which CAN be evaluated AND achieved with qualitative research, and anecdotal evidence. It did cmthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03814447289455034068noreply@blogger.com