post-hoc analysis

Post-hoc analysis refers to examining data after an experiment or study has concluded to discover additional patterns, differences, or insights that weren’t initially planned. It helps researchers explore unexpected findings or relationships that emerge unexpectedly. While valuable for generating new hypotheses, post-hoc analyses should be interpreted with caution because they increase the risk of identifying false positives—results that appear significant by chance. In essence, it's a way to further analyze and learn from existing data, but findings from post-hoc analysis usually require confirmation through future, targeted studies.