Quote:
Originally Posted by TGS
I've often wondered what happens to all the data that doesn't get reported. I recently worked with a cognitive scientist working on elucidating the specific function of a bit of the brain in language processing. Sometimes his experiments didn't support his theoretical position. Of course, these experiments didn't get written up - his explanation was that the data was screwed or the experimental design was wrong. I'm sure he is not unique.
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Experimental results which
don't match what you expected are what lead to advances in science. A classic example is the 1887
Michaelson-Morley experiment, the completely unexpected results of which triggered a revolution in physics.