Peer review is a filter. If a scientific theory cannot pass peer review and get into a peer reviewed publication it probably lacks adequate support. Note that this applies to scientific theories only. Lots of stuff, including technical stuff that is NOT a scientific theory will never be in a peer reviewed pubication and has no reason why that should affect creditiblity. Nate Silver will never be peer reviewed but is a credible source. He used highly technical means and is a professional, but is not inventing new science.
However the reverse is not true. Being published in a peer reviewed discussion does not mean you are right, or even that what you are saying is not garbage. All it means is that you provided a certain minimal level of evidence. Again a scientific paper that cannot be pubished in a peer reviewed publication is almost certainly flawed. Being pubished in a peer reviewed publication is no guarantee it is not garbage - it just means it passed certain tests. It is not a certain kind of garbage, but may be more sophisticated garbage. Basically peer review is supposed to be a guarantee of being worth discussion. Sometimes stuff slips through that should not, but most it is worth discussion. But peer review is not ehe same as settled.
If there is extensive peer reviewed literature on a subject and all of it or almost all agrees on something, odds are that is settled. Though there is always the possibility something new will turn up that overturns it.
So many conclusions are being drawn off that abstract (I feel confident the IO9 author hasn't read the full thing, but the sad thing is, they handed it to IO9's resident evo psych click baiter, so off the bat I assume that peer review means diddly in its defence. Given that he messes up the difference between numbers and percentages in his power statement "It's pretty revealing that..." and doesn't use the "adequately powered" stats (what does that even mean), well, I'm inclined to pre-judge to save time.
Family is hunkered down on hurricane watch. Yay, weather!
Does anyone have access to the full text of this [link] ? I am so curious about the conclusion.
Not now, but I'm 99% certain I could get it for you tomorrow morning from my work computer (the uni has full-text access to pretty much everything medical or science-y, plus an utterly random assortment of unlikely other stuff).
I am at the University library, and I've got the pdf of the fulltext. You want it?
I'd love it, Debet! Profile address?
My dad just shocked the absolute crap out of me by sending me the following e-mail...
Go Giants!
How are your As doing?
I think it is kinda obvious I didn't get my love of baseball from him and he doesn't have a great grasp of how the playoffs work. But still. He realized something big happened last night in his city and connected it to one of my passions. Go Dad. And in my response I asked if he wanted to get me World Series tix and airfare. Long shot, but hey...why not ask.
I love our collective...sourcing.
So while I was rather annoyed with Devi for turning the tv on full blast at just before 5 am, it ended up being strategically wise. I had a lot of shit to do today and I had to leave for a dentist appt at 4. And it all got done. And then the dental office was running behind (hazard of late appts) so I didn't get to the pool until late and then I had to go catsit, and there was poop, as well as a cat who wanted me to cart her around while staring crazy at me and purring and then I got around to dinner and my own household crap and JEEZ, I WOKE UP BEFORE 5.
And I leave in 11 days. UNPOSSIBLE. I'm in denial.
