{
  "title": "Testing a hypothesis: why seeking confirmation is not enough",
  "url": "https://www.shr.swiss/blog/tester-une-hypothese-avant-de-decider-en",
  "language": "en",
  "datePublished": "2026-07-08",
  "publisher": {
    "name": "SHR — Swiss Human Resources",
    "url": "https://www.shr.swiss",
    "address": "Esplanade de Pont-Rouge 9A, 1212 Lancy, Suisse"
  },
  "summary": "Gathering more information does not guarantee better decisions. The information sought must also be capable of challenging the preferred explanation.",
  "section": "Research",
  "topic": "Decision-making",
  "place": {
    "name": "Fribourg",
    "region": "Fribourg",
    "country": "CH"
  },
  "keyPoints": [
    {
      "heading": "What the literature establishes",
      "point": "Raymond S."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Considering the contrary explanation",
      "point": "Charles G."
    },
    {
      "heading": "The premature conclusion",
      "point": "One might conclude that the contrary explanation should always receive equal weight."
    },
    {
      "heading": "What the evidence does not guarantee",
      "point": "A literature review and experiments on social judgment do not establish that this instruction alone improves industrial decisions."
    },
    {
      "heading": "A practical check in Fribourg",
      "point": "Within SHR's [decision-making](/formation/prise-de-decision/fribourg) programme, an exercise applicable in Fribourg would be to document the preferred hypothesis, a competing explanation and an observation that could distinguish between them before making the decision."
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "authors": "Nickerson",
      "year": "1998",
      "source": "Review of General Psychology"
    },
    {
      "authors": "Preston",
      "year": "1984",
      "source": "Journal of Personality and Social Psychology"
    }
  ],
  "wordCount": 399,
  "image": "https://www.shr.swiss/img/blog-editorial-2026-07-08-en.jpg?v=4",
  "translations": {
    "fr": "https://www.shr.swiss/blog/tester-une-hypothese-avant-de-decider",
    "en": "https://www.shr.swiss/blog/tester-une-hypothese-avant-de-decider-en",
    "de": "https://www.shr.swiss/blog/tester-une-hypothese-avant-de-decider-de",
    "it": "https://www.shr.swiss/blog/tester-une-hypothese-avant-de-decider-it"
  },
  "relatedPages": {
    "programme": "https://www.shr.swiss/formation/prise-de-decision/fribourg",
    "city": "https://www.shr.swiss/formations-ville/fribourg",
    "blog": "https://www.shr.swiss/blog"
  },
  "citationPolicy": "Citation autorisée avec mention « SHR — Swiss Human Resources » et lien vers l'article."
}