Overgeneralization [Neurosurgery Wiki]

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====== Overgeneralization ======

**Overgeneralization** occurs when conclusions drawn from a specific study, sample, or dataset are **unjustifiably extended** to broader populations, settings, or conditions **without sufficient evidence**.

===== Characteristics =====
  * Applying results from a **small**, **non-representative**, or **highly selective** sample to the general population
  * Assuming findings from **one disease**, **subtype**, or **demographic** are valid for all others
  * Ignoring **contextual limitations** such as duration, comorbidities, or clinical setting

===== Examples in Clinical Research =====
  * Claiming that a treatment tested in 40 young adults is effective “for all tinnitus patients”
  * Generalizing results from a single center or region to global clinical practice
  * Extending short-term outcome improvements to long-term prognoses without follow-up data

===== Why It Matters =====
  * Leads to **misapplication of therapies** in inappropriate patients
  * Undermines **external validity** (generalizability) of clinical research
  * Contributes to **misleading clinical guidelines** or practice changes based on insufficient scope

===== Red Flags =====
  * Small or homogeneous sample size with broad conclusions
  * Lack of subgroup analysis or demographic stratification
  * Absence of discussion on **limitations** or **generalizability**

===== Related Concepts =====
  * [[external_validity|External Validity]]
  * [[selection_bias|Selection Bias]]
  * [[rhetorical_inflation|Rhetorical Inflation]]
  * [[conceptual_ambiguity|Conceptual Ambiguity]]

===== See Also =====
  * [[critical_review|How to critically read a scientific article]]
  * [[ebm_principles|Principles of Evidence-Based Medicine]]