Which of the following assumptions underlies the final sentence?
A finding is not science until it has been repeated. Yet in several fields, attempts to replicate celebrated studies have often failed. Some commentators conclude that science is broken. That goes too far. Failed replications are themselves scientific results, and the fact that they are being published shows the system correcting itself. The real defect lies in incentives: journals reward novelty, careers depend on publishing positive results, and nobody gains from confirming what is already believed. Changes such as registering study plans in advance and publishing negative results would shift the balance. It is a mistake to treat a self-correcting system's discovery of its own flaws as proof that it cannot be trusted.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. That discovering and publicising one's own errors is a sign of a system that can improve
- Step 1: The sentence treats a self-correcting system's discovery of its flaws as not being proof of untrustworthiness.
- Step 2: It assumes that exposing errors indicates the ability to correct them.
Answer
That discovering and publicising one's own errors is a sign of a system that can improve.
Why not the others: The author does not claim that errors are better than none, that scientists never err, that journals are the only source or that trust is unconditional.
Practise more Science and evidence.
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