Confirmation. If a well-designed investigation yields the anticipated findings, the hypothesis is proven. Otherwise, it fails. It is important to note that confirmation of a hypothesis does not prove the hypothesis correct; only additional evidence can do that. For example, if we investigate two groups of people and find that they like different types of food, this would be consistent with the hypothesis that everyone likes something different. However, without further research or experimentation, we could not conclude that these people actually do like different foods—only that they appear to like different foods based on what group they belong to. Confirmation is part of the scientific method. Scientists start with a hypothesis about some aspect of nature or society. They then design an experiment or study to test this hypothesis. If the results of their study are as expected by the hypothesis, they report these results in a journal article or presentation. Other scientists will then look at these results and decide whether they support or contradict the original hypothesis. The hypothesis is then updated or revised based on the new information gained from analyzing the data or performing more experiments. Confirming evidence is evidence that supports but does not prove the truth of the hypothesis.