Super interesting, and I was just having this conversation recently. There’s one issue I have with the analysis of psycholotherapy (assuming we even get a control group, which few studies do). The data points we’re using to calculate effectiveness is self-reported. In other words, we have no external method of evaluating the actual positive impact impartially, only as it was experienced by the participants. Sunk-cost fallacy, the Hawthorne Effect, etc, could inspire truly believed but ultimately inaccurate reporting.
Super interesting, and I was just having this conversation recently. There’s one issue I have with the analysis of psycholotherapy (assuming we even get a control group, which few studies do). The data points we’re using to calculate effectiveness is self-reported. In other words, we have no external method of evaluating the actual positive impact impartially, only as it was experienced by the participants. Sunk-cost fallacy, the Hawthorne Effect, etc, could inspire truly believed but ultimately inaccurate reporting.