Lynn’s Paradox of Sequential RCTs
Datamethods Discussion Forum [Unofficial]
March 5, 2026
Lynn’s Paradox (with deference to Simpson)
“A phenomenon in which sequential cause-agnostic randomized trials (CARs) testing a treatment for a disease-agnostic syndrome yield opposing conclusions across studies because enrolled participants represent a shifting mixture of diseases with opposing treatment effects.”
Discussion in the ATmosphere