tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281443754502891373.post7182539622553721223..comments2023-09-16T09:09:18.691-04:00Comments on Kittywampus - now at kittywampus.wordpress.com: A Sniffly Penalty for Parenting "Right"Sungoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02153155221248240952noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281443754502891373.post-1562593934118542142008-07-18T15:05:00.000-04:002008-07-18T15:05:00.000-04:00You're right, it's rare that science reporting giv...You're right, it's rare that science reporting gives you enough detail. I didn't trace this news item back to its source - although since I have access to a university library and its electronic journal holdings, I'm usually able to do so. (I'm lazy this week because I'm pressed for time - just got to Berlin and need to get the apartment set up for five weeks - and the jet lag is just hammering me!)<BR/><BR/>Just on the face of it, though, I could point out that the Netherlands is not the U.S., and so that alone may limit our ability to generalize the study. <BR/><BR/>I do think this is a fairly robust study, however. The sample size is fairly large, it was prospective (so didn't rely on people's faulty memories, though obviously people don't always give accurate self-reports), and it used blood testing to determine allergy sensitization. <BR/><BR/>I'd love to see Americans become more scientifically literate - if we all demanded better science journalism, we *might* get it. As it is, most people just throw up their hands and say, oh, those studies always contradict each other. Most people have little basis for judging the quality of a study. And that makes people gullible.Sungoldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02153155221248240952noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281443754502891373.post-76314992506727587822008-07-18T09:37:00.000-04:002008-07-18T09:37:00.000-04:00I can't stand to see the conclusions of a study pu...I can't stand to see the conclusions of a study published but not the methodology, sample size and demographics, things that help you draw your own conclusions and identify potential weaknesses of a study. The "experts" make mistakes too, and people would do themselves a favor to understand at least the basics of research methods instead of "Oh, a scientist said this", but having no idea how that scientist came to his or her conclusion. <BR/><BR/>How many magazines and newspapers do you see that report the findings ("Scientists say...") then fail to tell you how they determined their findings?Smirking Cathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15337751877658931171noreply@blogger.com