Meta-analysis shifted the debate burden from evidence to explanation.
Evidence
After Gershoff 2002, the debate shifted. The question was no longer “what does study X show?” The question was “can you explain away eighty-eight studies?” The meta-analysis established that the overall pattern across the entire research base --- across different decades, different populations, different sample compositions, different measurement strategies --- was adverse. Individual studies with null or positive findings for corporal punishment were not evidence that spanking was safe. They were statistical noise within a clear signal. — , The Rod and the Child, 6373
Categorization
- XREF: A general epistemic lesson about how aggregated evidence changes the burden of proof — relevant to any field with scattered contradictory studies.