A COUNSEL AGAINST DESPAIR

Last implication of convergence principle

We should not despair if initial results of studies on a problem appear to be contradictory.

Evidence Amalgamation Example The process of evidence Amalgamation in science is Like a projector, slowly Bringing an unknown slide into focus.

Example At first; Blur on the screen Then slide is focused a bit more, After ruling out the alternative hypothesis

, identification can be made with great confidence.

Early stages of EAP --------- Focusing process of projector

Ambiguous blur ----------- contradictory data or data that support many alternative hypotheses.

Obtaining the contradictory data at the beginning of an investigation;

Is Not a Unique Situation in

psychology!!

Contradictions are the

results of;

Our current inadequate

understandings of the problem

ORDue to sudden methodological

differences between experiments.

Contradictions and uncertainty also occurs in many mature sciences e.g medical science.

Psychology Is not alone!

In psychology and many other sciences , the combining of evidence from disparate studies to form a conclusion is now being done more formally by the use of statistical technique termed;

Meta Analysis

Now ! What is Meta Analysis?

In this technique the results of several studies that address the same research hypotheses are combined statistically. The effects obtained when one experimental group is compared with another expressed in a common statistical metric that allows comparison of effects across studies.

Continue……….. The findings are then statistically

amalgamated in some standard ways and a conclusion about differential effects is reached.

Merits Stable and useful findings. A way of dampening the contentious

disputes about conflicting studies in behavioral sciences.

Demerits Outcome of meta analysis is not always

positive, as it often tells us that when we combine the results from a large number of varying studies--------NOTHING IS THERE!!

Sometimes Meta Analysis yield negative conclusions.

Meta Analysis Contains an Implicit message!!

Any single study represents just a

small part of a much larger endeavor. And when we worry that progress is slow in

some area of psychology, we

should remember that this ’low yield’’ is characteristic of medicine and many

other scientific research areas.

MERCI