WOMEN LIKE MEN WHO LIKE CHILDREN

A new research study concludes that "women like men who are fond of children." THE ECONOMIST (2006:5/13/92) was ecstatic to delight it’s readers from a paper that came from

the PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY. The Associated Press also distributed it to both the print and electronic media. This is got to be a joke. THE GAZETTE’S Mike Deupree was happy to ask the right questions about the research and the findings (5/16/2006:1C)

To make matters worse, Dr. Ioannidis in his "WHY MOST PUBLISHED RESEARCH FINDINGS ARE FALSE" (see socialvibes.net)( New Essay VII for the entire article) suggests that lack of replication, commercial interests, too little rigor, and faddish pursuits make most research not credible. Further, he was reviewing hundreds of articles in the most prestigious medical journals.

If I can, lets clear the fog. There is bad research and some researchers do chase after commonsense. To understand why they get into print you have to know the territory. There are roughly 5 levels of research that most in academia and research institutes understand.

Level 1. is poorly constructed research that sometimes sneaks into publication because the editors

know and like the individual(s.). This is very rare, but it happens.

 Level 2. The research is a fraud. If caught, you will see it in the news because the person loses their job. Level 3. The research is acceptable because it generates new findings, but in academia it is not considered ready for the textbook. More research needs to be done. The sample was too small and not random or other protocols were violated. However, it is a contribution to the field and thus worthy of publication.

Level 4. The research is acceptable, but they only use one method of discovery (experimental, survey, case study, secondary analysis or related.) Thus, there is a flaw because it is not complete. Level 5. The authors TRIANGULATE. That means that they bring together at least 3 different methods of discovery, follow all the other rules, and replicate This is the state of the art and the science. If it holds up in the real world, the research is considered acceptable. However, to get to Level 5, you may need many studies that include Levels 3 and 4 even if they are imperfect.

So women like men who are fond of children. The tiny study of 39 males and 29 females suggests that women.like to date good looking rugged men with big jaws and heavy beards when they play, but like less masculine looking males to marry and care for her children. That little study supports evolutionary psychology. Alpha males (the rugged good looking ones are more likely to play around and Beta males the less masculine looking men are less likely to do so.)

It is a tiny piece of a very large puzzle dealing with mate selection. It is a common sense idea  that is put to test. It also uses sociology, psychology, and biochemistry. That is fortunate. It is a Level 3 paper that was given at a convention. Hopefully, someday the Associated Press science editor will be able to use these Levels or something like it, so that readers will know that like the rest of the world,that some findings are better than others. This one got to the mainstream audience of readers for the wrong reasons. Deupree told us why this was so.