--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj <vajradh...@...> wrote: > > > On Feb 14, 2009, at 7:55 PM, sparaig wrote: > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj <vajradhatu@> wrote: > >> > >> > >> On Feb 14, 2009, at 7:15 PM, sparaig wrote: > >> > >>>> Interesting because one of the researchers is probably the most > >>>> qualified man in the world to comment on EEG, having been the > >>>> section > >>>> editor of the state of the art work on Human > >>>> electroencephalography, > >>>> esp. electroencephalography and meditation. Davidson's also the man > >>>> who's systematically mapped the correlates of alpha. > >>>> > >>>> These guys ain't no slouchers. ;-) > >>>> > >>> > >>> Bias in a specific field of interest is orthogonal to expertise. > >>> > >>> Well, not exactly, the greater the level of expertise, the more > >>> likely > >>> a researcher has biases, just because. > >> > >> > >> I don't see that. These guys who are at the forefront of their fields > >> have their reputations on the line with every study they publish. It > >> behooves them to uphold the highest standards of practice. > >> > > > > So the fact that Davidson literally wrote teh book on the > > significance of > > EEG asymmetry doesn't imply he's more likely bound to theories that > > support his published work, as opposed to theories and research that > > call into question his work? > > > > Jujst about every philsopher of science I'm familiar with from Kuhn > > to Lakatos > > points out the exact opposite: established figures in a field tend > > to be > > the least open-minded about theories and studies that conflict with > > their own > > theories and findings. > > > If a researcher is truly interested in rigorously applying a null > hypothesis--in other words if s/he has some integrity--s/he should be > looking for whatever they can to find what might falsify it, to the > point of being hypervigilant. > > I would suspect the opposite of what you describe could be true in > honest inquiry. >
So why do you think someone is honest while someone else is dishonest? Fact is, both the experienced, famous researcher, and the True Believer have reasons to cling to a certain world view. THat doesn't make them worse or better, only points out the possibility that both can fall into the same trap. L
