definition
Good Negative Distinguishes Meaningful Ape Failures
A 'good negative' in comparative experiments is when chimps pass a control condition very similar to the experimental condition while children pass both, making the chimps' failure in the key condition a meaningful fact rather than an uninterpretable null result, since ordinary negative findings could be due to anything.
definitionpending
Speaker
Michael TomaselloEvidence Quote
“what I call a good negative is that the chimps pass a control condition that's very similar to the experimental condition... It makes it a meaningful fact.”
Source
225 | Michael Tomasello on The Social Origins of Cognition and Agency— Sean Carroll's MindscapeCreated: 6/13/2026, 12:05:28 AM
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