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Can "Pre-Existing Attitudes" Affect Research?

When research results from those in favor of specific modalities are positive and results being presented by those in opposition state just the opposite, who are therapists going to believe?

How do you feel the researcher's predisposed attitude affects the study? Are therapists as likely to accept the results knowing this, either way?

Should institutions financially support studies on both sides, if it has not been researched enough for a definitive decision? What about when researchers just pass on information they recieve and it is wrong?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Deborah E-Platt on December 21, 2009 at 8:11am

Personally I believe that pre-existing attitudes affect everything, whether you're talking about research (which is often motivated by those thinking they'll make a profit on their resulting findings) or not. There will always be differences of opinion,
and those who will only believe certain studies depending on who they're done by too.

Also if a particular modality is given high honors for resolving an issue for several control groups in a study, it doesn't mean that other modalities would not be equally effective, only that one particular bodywork style was covered in the research study that was done. Then there is the factor that no two people are alike & may not respond to any one treatment in the same way.

Permalink Reply by Jorge Arnaldo Pabón Acevedo on December 26, 2009 at 2:32pm

When we exercise a research study, we have a neutral and unbiased mind, on our opinion or desired results. Being biased in our opinion on a problem set for the trial skews the results. We do experimentation in a neutral environment, free of contaminants and collect the results objectively. The slightest carelessness in the collection of data, which are contaminated with our predisposition bias the results and will not be quality.When we make an experimental investigation, it is good to our experimental group and control group or placebo, but without affecting any condition with our thinking. We must always keep a neutral mind.

Permalink Reply by Massage sucks on August 15, 2018 at 3:17pm

Don't forget that you need to be able to properly understand and evaluate the results that are found in research. Take for instance flipping a coin. Now guess what the result is before you look. Go ahead and perform the trick 10 or 20 times, record your answer.

Don't continue reading until you perform the test. This is an experiment to show how often people don't understand the results that they observe. I will wait

How many times did you guess correctly or incorrectly? Guessing the right answer more times then the wrong obviously means you have a gift. Did you guess the wrong answer more times then the correct answer? Now, that means you have less of a gift, right?

Now take a moment before you continue reading. There is a reason. Feel good about yourself that you have more correct guesses the wrong guesses. Allow yourself to feel bad about yourself if you had more wrong answers then correct answers. There is a reason for this. I will wait.

Wrong! It still means you have some kind of gift. There is a 50% chance that a coin will land on either side. This means a person with no ability to guess a right or correct answer will score around 50% right and 50% wrong. If you guessed more wrong the right, you still have the ability. Your only not understanding what you sense correctly for what ever reason. It does not mean you don't have any ability.

Now, if you did my little test you participated in an energy related research project. the point was to show how easy it is to not understand the results you witnessed. We all did the same experiment, we all saw the same results. Odds are most of us saw different things in the results. Everything energy related is like that.