Beware the Confirmation Trap

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Beware the Confirmation Trap
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1. Be a cynic. Act like a doubter. Question as a
skeptic. Question both the quality of the data
and the validity of the source. Those that know
me, come to recognize that engagement by means of
doubt is something I value dearly. I believe that
the ability to question is essential for the
overall health of the individual and the common
collective. Worthwhile societal contributions are
commonly created by this process of questioning
and conflict. 2. Plan how you acquire your data
or information. This strategy tends to apply more
towards your professional tasks but I recommend
you plan your data gathering ahead of time. In
the medical and scientific literature, we
describe this as a priori endpoints and outcome
measures. The act of specifying analytical
methodology before you start looking at the
results minimizes haphazard and scattered
conclusions.
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3. Two sources are better than one. When in
doubt, have multiple sources. Few strategies are
as simple, yet as effective, as having multiple
trusted sources to ascertain the validity of the
information you are analyzing. As I have
mentioned here on the Sunday Surgical Scrub
before, never rely on just one source for any
meaning analysis.
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MEDICINE MACULA My new book, Decision
Diagnosis Seven Antidotes to Decision
Procrastination, is now available on both Kindle
and as a paperback. My sincere thanks for making
it an Amazon best seller in multiple categories
and countries! - See more at http//davidalmeida
md.com/beware-the-confirmation-trap/sthash.9mlY94
rf.dpuf
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GRATIS Whenever Im lucky enough to get the
opportunity to drive my kids to school, I always
remind them to ask one good new question each
day. Then, I ask them to look for holes,
fallacies and inconsistencies in the answer they
get back. Always be on guard for the confirmation
trap! My best to you, David
Almeida david_at_davidalmeidamd.com