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[IBC] Super Thrive and bias
Lots of people are 'believers' (in a variety of things). Belief doesn't make it a fact. And, as a token scientist, I have to point out that even with controlled experiments, what a scientist believes sometimes determines what s/he sees. When I was at Long Island, I helped my boss with experiments by rating them without knowing anything about the experiment. Since I didn't know what the treatments were, I couldn't unconsciously bias my ratings based on my preconceived notions. Still, these biases are still there. When I choose the plants to photograph for a publication, don't I use the ones that best illustrate the difference in treatments? It's human nature to make the best picture, not the most representative. So when you see those "big tree little tree" pictures on Superthrive packaging, be aware that scientists do that, too. Also, be aware that scientists are influenced by the sources of their funding. When I was studying a biocontrol agent for use against powdery mildews, the sponsor wanted me to test the agent in its commercial formulation. I asked for the formulation alone, to use as a control. They didn't want me to do that. I insisted. And found out that what really controlled the mildew was the formulation, not the biocontrol agent. So don't believe everything you hear, even if a scientist says it. The key to believable information is repeatability. If lots of people can duplicate findings, it's probably a true phenomena. As far as Superthrive is concerned, one would have to set up an experiment to take into account the additional fertilizer in the product. If you treated some plants with Superthrive and others with water, the Superthrive plants would be getting higher levels of nutrients independent of whatever B-1 was or wasn't doing. -- Nina Shishkoff Frederick, MD ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Evergreen Gardenworks++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ |
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