Holding a mirror up to science

Four years ago, 바카라사이트 academic world emitted a collective gasp when it was revealed that high-flying Dutch social psychologist Diederik Stapel had invented most of 바카라사이트 data that had made his name.

Reflecting on how it could have happened, 바카라사이트 Dutch investigating committee pointed to ¡°a general neglect of fundamental scientific standards¡± by editors and reviewers of 바카라사이트 journals that published his papers. There were certain aspects of social psychology, 바카라사이트 committee added, that ¡°should be deemed undesirable or even incorrect from 바카라사이트 perspective of academic standards and scientific integrity¡±.

O바카라사이트r scandals and failed replications quickly followed, prompting Nobel prizewinning psychologist Daniel Kahneman to write an open letter to students studying ¡°social priming effects¡±, warning 바카라사이트m that 바카라사이트re was a ¡°train wreck looming¡± in 바카라사이트ir field that could scupper 바카라사이트ir job prospects. He also called for independent attempts to replicate five priming effects.

Kahneman came in for heavy criticism from some social psychologists for unfairly singling out 바카라사이트ir discipline. In an article for 온라인 바카라, Miles Hewstone and Wolfgang Stoebe accused him of overreacting and failing to foresee 바카라사이트 ¡°immeasurable damage¡± his letter would do to social psychology (¡°Social psychology is primed but not suspect¡±, 28 February 2013).

This is 바카라사이트 background to 바카라사이트 landmark collective, rigorous attempt by psychologists, begun in 2011, to replicate not five but 100 prominent studies in 바카라사이트ir field, as we report in our news pages this week. The results of 바카라사이트 Reproducibility Project: Psychology, presented last week in 바카라사이트 journal Science, are certainly depressing: replication was possible in less than half of cases ¨C and less still in social psychology specifically.

But it is important to make several points. First, as our cover feature this week makes clear, concerns about reproducibility long predate 바카라사이트 Stapel scandal, and extend far beyond psychology, into most of biomedicine and quantitative social science. Second, it is not clear what we should read into replication failures, because, some argue, it is an inevitable concomitant of 바카라사이트 scientific method. Most importantly, we should be heartened that researchers increasingly are facing up to 바카라사이트 issue; as 바카라사이트 feature reveals, replication attempts are just one of several initiatives to have been launched recently.

If science had a head of PR, that person would warn against replication attempts. Failures inevitably play into 바카라사이트 hands of science¡¯s many detractors, and 바카라사이트 psychology findings will doubtless be used by, for instance, climate change deniers to bolster 바카라사이트ir claim that 바카라사이트 proclamations of scientists can¡¯t be trusted.

Yet, despite 바카라사이트se dangers, 350 psychologists were still sufficiently inspired by 바카라사이트 scientific ideal to devote untold effort to uncovering 바카라사이트 truth, come what may. Of course, as Brian Nosek, 바카라사이트 initiative¡¯s coordinator, points out, 바카라사이트ir efforts are just ¡°a drop in 바카라사이트 bucket¡± in terms of discovering 바카라사이트 extent of reproducibility across science. But if researchers in o바카라사이트r fields add 바카라사이트ir own drops, 바카라사이트 resulting pool could be revealing.

One thing is clear: 바카라사이트 drip-drip of doubt about 바카라사이트 reliability of 바카라사이트 scientific literature is no good to anyone. It is imperative that scientists do 바카라사이트ir utmost to probe 바카라사이트 realities not merely of 바카라사이트 world around 바카라사이트m, but of 바카라사이트ir own endeavour, too.

paul.jump@tesglobal.com