Refining early Basque criteria (miau)

[Lars Henrik Mathiesen]

> Date: Wed, 22 Dec 1999 09:31:53 +0000
> From: larryt at cogs.susx.ac.uk (Larry Trask)

> Nor does the use of a computer in any way guarantee greater
> objectivity. If I decide to reject words showing property P, then I
> can do this by hand or with a computer program, and the results will
> be the same. After all, the computer isn't going to inform me that
> it doesn't like my criteria.

Given total objectivity in the researcher, that is true. However, in
many scientific communities it is recognized that most researchers
will unconsciously bias their evaluation of experimental data to
reject more of those instances that will not support their theory.

That is the reason for the use of double-blind experimental procedures
in medicine, for instance: Not so much a fear of dishonesty, but a
recognition that even honest researchers cannot avoid bias.

Having the researcher set the rules for acceptance of data and the
computer apply them, would make it much harder to get a bias in there.

Lars Mathiesen (U of Copenhagen CS Dep) <thorinn at diku.dk> (Humour NOT marked)