Читать книгу Social Work Research Methods - Reginald O. York - Страница 45

A popular form of incomplete information is the cherry-picking of information to prove a point. This refers to the search behavior of only reporting the facts that support a given position and intentionally suppressing known facts that refute it.

Suppose you reviewed 12 studies on the effectiveness of a given form of therapy in the reduction of postpartum depression and found that only 2 studies show effectiveness but the other 10 fail to show that clients were better off because of this form of therapy. Which one of these are you most likely to report to others?

1 Would you report only on the two studies that showed effectiveness and declare this form of therapy to be an evidence-based therapy for the treatment of postpartum depression?

2 Would you report on all studies and conclude that the evidence, taken as a whole, fails to support the classification of this form of therapy as evidence based in the treatment of postpartum depression?

3 Would you report on all studies and conclude that this shows that this form of therapy is evidence based in the treatment of postpartum depression?

4 Would you report only on the 10 studies that failed to reveal success and conclude there is no evidence that supports this form of therapy for postpartum depression?

The social worker, as a social scientist, would select Option 2 above. There were far more studies with negative findings than positive ones. Unfortunately, some social workers, not embracing the spirit of scientific inquiry, would select Option 1, especially if the social worker has a personal investment in this form of therapy. Perhaps this is a form of therapy this social worker has been suggesting, and this revelation will be embarrassing.