Cover Image
QR Code

Positively misleading errors.

Positively misleading errors are errors of statistical reasoning in which adding data to an analysis will systematically and reliably strengthen support for an erroneous hypothesis over a correct one. This pattern distinguishes them from other errors of statistical inference and pattern recognition....

Full description

Published in:Synthese Vol. 206; no. 1; pp. 1 - 26
Main Author: Haber, Matthew H.
Format: Article
Published: Springer Nature Jul2025
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
fields @attributes:
  recordID: 1
pdfLink:
plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=186171398&site=ehost-live
header:
  @attributes:
    shortDbName: hlh
    uiTerm: 186171398
    longDbName: Humanities International Complete
    uiTag: AN
  controlInfo:
    bkinfo:
    jinfo:
      jid:
        00397857
        4LI
      jtl: Synthese
      issn: 00397857
      maglogo: N
    pubinfo:
      dt: Jul2025
      vid: 206
      iid: 1
      pid: 237
      pub: Springer Nature
    artinfo:
      ui:
        186171398
        10.1007/s11229-025-05093-5
      ppf: 1
      ppct: 25
      formats:
        fmt:
          – @attributes:
              type: T
          – @attributes:
              type: P
              size: 1.3MB
      tig:
        atl: Positively misleading errors.
      aug:
        au: Haber, Matthew H.
        affil: https://ror.org/03r0ha626 Department of Philosophy, School for Biological Sciences, and Center for Quantitative Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
      sug:
      keyword:
        Epistemic traps
        Mathematical Sciences Statistics
        Pattern recognition
        Positively misleading errors
        Probabilistic reasoning
        Scientific methodology
        Statistical reasoning
      ab: Positively misleading errors are errors of statistical reasoning in which adding data to an analysis will systematically and reliably strengthen support for an erroneous hypothesis over a correct one. This pattern distinguishes them from other errors of statistical inference and pattern recognition. Here I provide a general account of positively misleading errors by describing an exemplar case from biology along with a candidate case from clinical medicine. Though well known in biology (phylogenetic systematics, to be precise), positively misleading errors are likely more widespread and deserve to be brought to the attention of the wider research community. This will facilitate a better understanding of them and sharpen our ability to assess statistical and probabilistic methods, providing resources for researchers to more effectively identify, diagnose, and dislodge these errors of statistical inference. This reflects the way we have gained a better understanding of scientific reasoning from studying other errors of statistical and probabilistic reasoning.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
    refInfo:
    copyright:
      @attributes:
        flag: Y
      custom: Synthese is a copyright of Springer, 2025. All Rights Reserved.
      item: Synthese
      holder: Springer Nature
      dt:
        @attributes:
          year: 2025
    holdings:
      @attributes:
        islocal: N