In the above example, it may be considered confusing that the protocol used for optional stopping depends on the data that is being recorded. But the controversy over optional stopping also emerges if this dependence is absent. For example, imagine a third researcher who samples until the diligent researcher is done, or before that if she starts to feel peckish.  Furthermore we may suppose that with each new cup offered to the lady, the probability of feeling peckish is \(\frac{1}{2}\). This peckish researcher will also be able to reject the null hypothesis if she completes the series of six cups. And it certainly seems at variance with the objectivity of the statistical procedure that this rejection depends on the physiology and the state of mind of the researcher: if she had not kept open the possibility of a snack break, she would not have rejected the null hypothesis, even though she did not actually take that break. As Jeffrey famously quipped, this is indeed a “remarkable procedure”.