When the incidence of a condition called "Morgellons" seemed to be increasing, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)conducted research that found no evidence of such infections actually taking place. Soon after, the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota conducted similar research and obtained nearly identical findings. As it turned out, most people who thought they had Morgellons had very simple skin conditions, or no condition at all. The repetition of the CDC's research that was used to support the findings is crucial to critical thinking, in a principle called
A)ruling out rival hypotheses.
B)correlation versus causation.
C)replicability.
D)Occam's Razor.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Replicability is the principle that scientific research should be subject to repeated testing in order to confirm its validity. In the case of the CDC and Mayo Clinic studies on Morgellons, the fact that both studies came to very similar conclusions suggests that their findings were reliable and not simply the result of chance or error. Replicability is a cornerstone of scientific research and is essential to ensuring that new discoveries are valid and can be trusted.

When the Incidence of a Condition Called "Morgellons" Seemed to Be