If you make people’s livelihoods dependent on their meeting certain benchmarks in measures of what they are doing, then they will do everything they can to ensure that they meet those benchmarks (even at the expense of the things that are supposedly being measured).
Consider as parallel case: Why do our own students often complain that their grade is not high enough, but almost never that they did not learn enough? Because the grades trump the actual learning in getting scholarships and awards, in graduating, and in going on to the graduate school of their choice. The Chinese government insists on scientists attaining certain measures of eminence — # publications, # citations, impact factors, etc. So their scientists (understanding that no legitimate scientist can guarantee in advance that their research will succeed — that’s why we do the research, after all) have figured out ways to ensure that the metrics turn out the “right" way even if the science doesn’t. Also, keep in mind that China has nearly 4.5 times the population of the US, and, soon enough, will have 4.5 times the number of scientists as well. (So the raw number of cases of fraud may be higher in China, but the rate of fraud may not be that much higher.) The Chinese government sees itself as involved in a “race” for dominance with the US and EU (should the EU continue to exist). Once it has pulled ahead in that race, as is all but inevitable, and is the dominant world power in science (among many other spheres of activity), the Chinese gov't may well ease off on its more mechanistic demands of its scientists, allowing them to show their true brilliance in more authentically innovative work. How do you think the US gov’t will respond to falling behind the Chinese in science? Will it demanding even more forcefully that its scientists attain certain benchmarks in the metrics? Will scientists’ very jobs be at stake every few years, from research cycle to research cycle? How do you think many US scientists would respond to that situation? (And remember, a lot of the US’s most successful scientists — many of the Nobel winners, for instance — immigrated here from elsewhere. Do you think they will continue to come here in such droves once China has become the world’s dominant scientific power? A few unsettling thoughts for your Monday morning. Chris ….. Christopher D Green Department of Psychology York University Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 Canada 43.773895°, -79.503670° chri...@yorku.ca http://www.yorku.ca/christo orcid.org/0000-0002-6027-6709 ………………………………... On Oct 14, 2017, at 5:59 PM, Mike Palij <m...@nyu.edu> wrote: > We can all hope that the Chinese continue to engage in unethical research > conduct. See: > https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/13/world/asia/china-science-fraud-scandals.html?emc=edit_th_20171014&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=389166 > > Clearly, there is a failure in the Chinese system that produces this degree > of bad science. Unfortunately, the failure of teaching critical thinking to > U.S. citizens furls the anti-intellectualism and anti-science attitudes that > is now not only prevalent among citizens but now also at the highest levels > of U.S. government. What is going to happen when China fixes its > scientific research system -- will all of the smart U.S. students interested > in science go there for education and research? > > Things that make you go hmmmm..... > > -Mike Palij > New York University > m...@nyu.edu > > --- > You are currently subscribed to tips as: chri...@yorku.ca. > To unsubscribe click here: > http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=430248.781165b5ef80a3cd2b14721caf62bd92&n=T&l=tips&o=51567 > or send a blank email to > leave-51567-430248.781165b5ef80a3cd2b14721caf62b...@fsulist.frostburg.edu --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@mail-archive.com. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=51570 or send a blank email to leave-51570-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
