People get really mad when you call this p-hacking, btw. I used to try and make this point to ”analysts” that I worked with, that science involves coming up with a hypothesis and then looking at the data. The response I got often enough that I’m sure it’s being taught somewhere was that you “need to let the data tell it’s own story”.
Turns out lots of people have decided what the conclusion is and are taking that conclusion and the data, and then blindly munging until they get a path which connects them.
Turns out lots of people have decided what the conclusion is and are taking that conclusion and the data, and then blindly munging until they get a path which connects them.