Cognitive Biases · Growth Library
Write the Inclusion Rule Before Generalizing
Spot Conditional Pitfalls
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State the question and population you want to understand. Record how cases entered the analysis, which cases were excluded or missing and whether selection depends on the outcome. Compare the conclusion with a broader view or label it as applying only to the selected group. Write what additional data would change the conclusion.
Check-in: Who was included, who was missing, and is my conclusion limited to the selected group or supported beyond it?
Evidence: Practical guidance; no evidence-like claim is detected in the current source record.
Review note: The inherited article contained unsupported mistake reduction, conversion examples, sample prescriptions and statistical precision. The effective public record is rewritten as an inclusion-rule and conclusion-scope check without an evidence claim.
A clean result can describe only the cases that were allowed into the analysis. Before turning it into a general rule, inspect the selection process and keep the conclusion inside the group the data can represent.
1. Define the target group
Write who, what or which events the decision is meant to cover. This is the population your conclusion would need to represent.
2. Write the inclusion rule
Record how cases entered the report: threshold, response, purchase, survival, availability, completion, manual choice or another filter.
3. Name excluded and missing cases
List who could not enter, did not respond, dropped out or was removed. Note whether the reason for absence is related to the outcome being discussed.
4. Test the scope of the conclusion
Compare with a broader group when data is available. Otherwise rewrite the conclusion so it applies only to the selected cases and state the missing information.
5. Record what would change the conclusion
Identify the missing group, alternative sample or additional comparison needed before a broader decision is justified. Keep that need attached to the result.
Questions to consider
Does a selected sample make the analysis useless?
No. It may answer a narrower question. The problem begins when a result for the selected group is presented as though it applies to cases that were not represented.
What if excluded cases cannot be measured?
Describe the missing group, explain why it is missing and narrow the conclusion. Record what information would be needed before making a broader claim.
Is checking the inclusion rule enough to remove bias?
No. It is a diagnostic step. Other problems can remain in measurement, comparison, timing, missing data or interpretation.
Maintenance record
Review history
Current status: Reviewed. An editorial or evidence review is recorded and no later event changes that conclusion.
2026-08-22 · reviewed · Brali claim cleanup agent Source: protocol-content-overrides-claim-cleanup-batch-2.json
Replace an inherited article containing unsupported mistake reduction, conversion examples, sample prescriptions, statistical precision and fabricated work scenes with a bounded inclusion-rule and scope check.
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Implementation observations can trigger a review, but they cannot change an evidence conclusion by themselves. Commercial relationships do not control review status or outcomes.
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Article versions
Brali keeps substantive article history visible. Later reviews may refresh wording, sources, examples, or boundaries without silently replacing the record.
- Version 2025-10-06: first recorded publication in the migrated Brali corpus.
- Evidence review 2026-08-22: reviewed by Brali claim cleanup agent; evidence state is
practical.
Canonical source record · Evidence state: practical.