ABSTRACT
It may be argued that, in general, the scientic method centers on the formulation and testing of hypotheses.2 In this context, we distinguish between exploratory and conrmatory studies (Figure 16.1). The purpose of the exploratory study is to analyze data with one or several different techniques in order to substantiate a plausible hypothesis. The data set may be redened and/or different analysis techniques may be employed repeatedly in order to support one or several hypotheses. The exploratory study is thus very much adaptable to the specics of any scientic question. However, the repeated probing for hypotheses on one data set may lead to multiple testing issues that often undermine statistical conclusions. The exploratory study is therefore often combined with a conrmatory study.
