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 Tomasello

Evidence 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 AgencySean Carroll's Mindscape
Created: 6/13/2026, 12:05:28 AM

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