How to Spot Bias in Research.

l924 article published in the American Journal of Psychiatry reported the results oft.he following labo­ ratory task: "A meaningless picture was produced by pouring India-ink of different intensities on a piece of thick limed paper and then pressing the paper under a glass plate. In addition some abstract lines were drawn by chru1ce on the picture and a few pieces of white paper cut also by chance pasted on the same." Two genetically distinct groups of25 human participants were shown the meaningless picture and asked to talk, for two minutes, about any objects in the picture that they recognized. One group of pruticipants was more prone to articulate what the researcher deemed "insignificant" statements, such as "I really don't see any objects" or, in the case of one participant, "If you are a photographer, doctor, I'd like to tell you that you had better change professions." The other group was more likely to talk about objects such as dogs, elephants, and