On Bias
By Rafe Sagarin / On January 10th, 2013
Some of the best science stories seem to emerge in a three step process. Step 1: Someone points out an error in your thinking, or you can’t let go of a nagging feeling that somehow you are wrong about what you think your data are telling you. Step 2: In a deep, and sometimes painful, exploration of what went wrong with your own analysis, you discover a systematic error in the way whole groups of researchers are thinking about the issue. Step 3: The new story you are able to tell by looking at the data fresh turns out to be more interesting than the standard account.