Quote:
Originally Posted by Curve Ball Dave
A statistical researcher reaches a point where numbers cannot explain everything and it's time to start looking past numbers and delving into what the subject of your study actually do when they practice their trade. If number crunches only produces more dead ends, doing more number crunching isn't going to solve your dilemma.
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Science doesn't work this way. If an animal behavior scientists use statistical method to study how bees scout, and reached a limit on how much he can explain, asking bees aren't really a better idea. Bees actually don't know why they are doing what they are doing.
Those who practice their trade don't necessarily know more simply because they are doing it. Quite often it's the opposite: the fact they are doing it makes them biased and too confident even when their knowledge is false. A lot of technicians do things in certain way because they believe that's how things should work without knowing if there is any good reasons. Ball players are like technicians: can do their jobs perfectly even without any real understanding of the science behind things. Same as drivers are fine knowing nothing about car mechanics.
Dead ends are resolved by finding more info, typically through observing factors that are not previously observed. And you design experiments to prove the theory.