Prior beliefs and the interpretation of scientific results

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 colloquially, I ask if we shou...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Royal Society open science 2023-12, Vol.10 (12), p.231613-231613
Main Author: Eidels, Ami
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
credibility
metascience
Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience
real-time procedures
replication
research methods
transparency
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Summary: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 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, and extra sensory perception.
ISSN:2054-5703
2054-5703
DOI:10.1098/rsos.231613