A Short Introduction to the Reproducibility Debate in Psychology

Abstract

Reproducibility is considered a defining feature of science: Trust in scientific discovery and progress are argued to depend on the ability to reproduce previous results. However, recent large-scale replication studies have spurred debate on the reproducibility of scientific findings and suggested that psychology is facing a crisis. The reproducibility of results has been related to current publication practices, which favor sensational and statistically significant results over replication studies. In turn, this skewed incentive system may encourage researchers to engage in questionable research practices, thereby distorting the psychological literature. Important findings and criticisms, as well as potential measures to improve the reproducibility of results, such as preregistered reports, replication studies, and open science, are discussed.