This video, from TedEd, helpfully outlines many of the reasons it can be difficult to confirm research done in scientific fields–like neuroscience and psychology.
In brief: each research article you read takes a helpful step in a beneficial direction. (Even occasional missteps can be helpful, because they provide us with fresh perspectives.) However: researchers are always on a journey–and almost never at a destination.
For those of us who love hearing from scientists at Learning and the Brain conferences, we should remember: their research is always part of a large, complex, and fascinating discussion. The last word on any subject, however, has yet to be written…
(BTW: Don’t worry about the video’s hyperbolic title.)