Psychology’s Credibility Revolution

Abstract

In 2011, Daryl Bem published a paper that seemed to demonstrate evidence for extra sensory perception (ESP). Four years later, the Open Science Collaboration failed to replicate 67 of 100 published psychological studies. These results and others have rocked the field of Psychology (and science more generally) and caused many to re- examine how research is designed, analyzed, and reported. In this seminar, we will explore the factors that contribute to false positives in the literature, including questionable research practices like p-hacking and selective reporting, as well as publication bias, and the incentive structure of science. Along the way, we’ll also discuss the strategies being used to improve the discipline and how to apply them to your own research and consumption of science.