NHST

On page 169 in an In the Know box, we briefly discuss the history and current status of null hypothesis statistical testing (NHST). Naturally, we still teach NHST basics but we also emphasize newer methods such as exploring the data and using confidence intervals.

So, it was interesting to find what Irene Pepperberg had to say about NHST. You may recall Dr. Pepperberg as the psychologist who found and trained Alex, the African gray parrot, to communicate using a limited vocabulary. (See the earlier blog entry, "You be good, see you tomorrow..." where we covered Alex's death.)

Pepperberg was one of 165 scientists and others who had responded to Edge's 2008 question: What have you changed your mind about? Why? In her reply, she said she had changed her mind about NHST (although she does not refer to it as NHST, she calls it "the classic scientific method.")

She gives three reasons for her change of mind. The first is that she now realizes the importance of observation before forming testable hypotheses. The second is that some important and interesting questions about psychology do not lend themselves to easy conversion to testable hypotheses. The third is that she believes too many scientists, because of their methods training, end up seeking to prove hypotheses rather than testing them.

Here is the link to her full response.

Also, here are links to responses by other psychologists to the same question: David Buss, Howard Gardner, Diane Halpern, Daniel Kahneman, Stephen Kosslyn, and Martin Seligman. Many other scientists, thinkers, and celebrities also responded.