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The self-experimentation we do everyday

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curious:
Seth,

What is the difference between the experiments you do and those that we ordinary folks do everyday, like trying a different soap until you find one that doesn't irritate you?

C.

Seth Roberts:
C.,

There are three big differences:

1. I use basic scientific tools -- the same tools most scientists use. These include (a) Data analysis tools, including graphical displays of data and statistical tests. In plain English, I graph my data. The data analysis I do is relatively sophisticated: I use R, for example, rather than SPSS. (b) Experimental design. I do experiments. Because of my background in animal learning, I know all about experimental designs for single-subject research. (c) Numerical measurement. I measure stuff using numbers. Psychology has a long history of using numbers to measure hard-to-measure stuff. I think a lot of wisdom has accumulated. (d) Records. I write down my measurements or store them on a computer.

2. Long time span. In several things I've studied, I've kept records lasting years.

3. Knowledge of scientific literature. I know a fair amount about the scientific literature in the various topics I have studied, such as weight and sleep -- not as much as someone trained in these areas, but more than the average psychology professor.

Each of these makes my trial and error more powerful. Difference #1 helps me extract more information per trial. Difference #2 means more trials and a better grasp of random variation. Difference #3 helps me better choose what to try and helps me understand the results.

Seth

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