I read in New Scientist this morning that a psychological study had found that reviewing psychological studies by a group of untrained people applying “common sense” was a reliable way to detect papers that contained conclusions that had not been replicated by later studies.

My common sense tells me that this procedure will come up with a significant number of false positives, and it is these papers, which contain conclusions that are counter-intuitive but have been replicated by later studies, that are the most important.

My common sense therefore tells me that if this paper is true, it is probably false, but if it is false, it may well be true.

lights pipe

Do you remember if you were breast fed?

Is common sense more reliable than gut feeling?

Divine Angel said:

Is common sense more reliable than gut feeling?

My common sense says no, but my gut feeling says yes.

This paper may be the exception that proves the rule.

Bubblecar said:

This paper may be the exception that proves the rule.

It may indeed.

For at least one meaning of the word “prove”.

Maybe it’s the reviewers’ BS detectors.. too many buzz words, semi-colons etc ;

Ian said:

Maybe it’s the reviewers’ BS detectors.. too many buzz words, semi-colons etc ;

Or even full colons.

The Rev Dodgson said:

Bubblecar said:

This paper may be the exception that proves the rule.

It may indeed.

For at least one meaning of the word “prove”.

From TATE:

“The alternative origin given is that the word “prove” is used in the archaic sense of “test”. In this sense, the phrase does not mean that an exception demonstrates a rule to be true or to exist, but that it tests the rule, thereby proving its value. There is little evidence of the phrase being used in this second way.[”

So there is little evidence of the phrase being used in the only way that makes sense?

I suppose that could well be true.

Peak Warming Man said:

Ian said:

Maybe it’s the reviewers’ BS detectors.. too many buzz words, semi-colons etc ;

Or even full colons.

Yes, these tricky questions are always best considered on a full stomach.

#define common sense

Error: invalid declaration.

SCIENCE said:

#define common sense

Error: invalid declaration.

ok, THAT MAKES SENSE.

sometimes the term commonsense is used in the pejorative, contrasted with good sense

transition said:

sometimes the term commonsense is used in the pejorative, contrasted with good sense

also, Gramsci and others might make reference to commonsense to do with familiar notions internalized, that seem natural with no thought at all, in reference to theory about ideology, or the workings of ideology

>I read in New Scientist this morning that a psychological study had found that reviewing psychological studies by a group of untrained people applying “common sense” was a reliable way to detect papers that contained conclusions that had not been replicated by later studies.

it sort of makes sense, that whatever asserted in that specialist field would be understandable by lay persons, if that’s what it means

The Rev Dodgson said:

I read in New Scientist this morning that a psychological study had found that reviewing psychological studies by a group of untrained people applying “common sense” was a reliable way to detect papers that contained conclusions that had not been replicated by later studies.

Good. Finally something worthwhile to come out of a psychological study.

Far too often, all a psychological study does is to confirm the bleedin’ obvious. You don’t need training to spot the BS, because everyone is an expert in normal psychology.

When it comes to abnormal psychology, on the other hand, it takes one to know one.

The Rev Dodgson said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Ian said:

Maybe it’s the reviewers’ BS detectors.. too many buzz words, semi-colons etc ;

Or even full colons.

Yes, these tricky questions are always best considered on a full stomach.

a full colon
(unlike a full stomach)
is fulla shit

Ogmog said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Or even full colons.

Yes, these tricky questions are always best considered on a full stomach.

a full colon
(unlike a full stomach)
is fulla shit

OK, good point.