Carol Stonecipher wrote:
> Thanks, Paul,(As I clarify my own lecture notes...)
> The large scale studies of "secretin" would be a good example to
> illustrate your point, and yes, some parents will never be convinced.
Yes. In fact, I used the secretin example (and some parents' responses)
to set context in the lit review of my dissertation. Good example.
> In defense of (and in appreciation for) Marie's response...
I certainly don't mean to suggest that Marie herself was confused about
the difference in value between "large scale studies" and case studies, but
just to point out that the little side comment she made might be taken by
some students to mean something that she clearly didn't intend. I really
appreciated Marie's response too - I had never seen the FC site before.
> FC may be a tool for some children, just not the population appropriately
diagnosed with autism. Would that be fair?
Well...that would take care of the "misdiagnosis" alternative
explanation, but the "post hoc ergo propter hoc" fallacy is still going
strong there, right? In other words, even if that particular child really
WAS autistic before the treatment (and not autistic after the treatment),
that case study is still very susceptible to confounding variables. Maybe
something else caused the child's improvement.
Now, I don't know that there are not good studies of FC demonstrating
effectiveness. I didn't mean my post to be about FC as much as it is about
the misconception about the purpose of large scale controlled studies. Even
if we learn that FC IS effective, and that the FC-true believer's conception
of autism IS the correct one, my point about the misconception re. research
methods still stands (as for example in the secretin example you raised).
> Carol Stonecipher
> National Park Community College
> Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hey, I was in Hot Springs my first time last summer. That must be quite
a place to have a community college.
Paul Smith
Alverno College
Milwaukee (where the water is mostly covered with ice, and people still jump
in on New Year's Day)
---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
