scholarly journals Have psychologists increased reporting of outliers in response to the reproducibility crisis?

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathrene D Valentine ◽  
Erin Michelle Buchanan ◽  
Arielle Cunningham ◽  
Tabetha Gaile Hopke ◽  
Addie Wikowsky ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Inferential Statistics ◽  
Questionable Research Practices ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Time Points ◽  
The Social ◽  
Problems And Solutions ◽  
Replication Crisis ◽  
Data Points

Psychology is currently experiencing a "renaissance" where the replication and reproducibility of published reports are at the forefront of conversations in the field. While researchers have worked to discuss possible problems and solutions, work has yet to uncover how this new culture may have altered reporting practices in the social sciences. As outliers and other errant data points can bias both descriptive and inferential statistics, the search for these data points is essential to any analysis using these parameters. We quantified the rates of reporting of outliers and other data within psychology at two time points: 2012 when the replication crisis was born, and 2017, after the publication of reports concerning replication, questionable research practices, and transparency. A total of 2235 experiments were identified and analyzed, finding an increase in reporting from only 15.7% of experiments in 2012 to 25.0% in 2017. We investigated differences across years given the psychological field or statistical analysis that experiment employed. Further, we inspected whether data exclusions mentioned were whole participant observations or data points, and what reasons authors gave for stating the observation was deviant. We conclude that while report rates are improving overall, there is still room for improvement in the reporting practices of psychological scientists which can only aid in strengthening our science.

scholarly journals Research on Research: A Meta-Scientific Study of Problems and Solutions in Psychological Science

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele B. Nuijten
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Research On Research ◽  
Psychological Science ◽  
The Social ◽  
Problems And Solutions ◽  
Replication Crisis ◽  
Meta Analyses

SUMMARY DOCTORAL DISSERTATION: Psychology is facing a “replication crisis”. Many psychological findings could not be replicated in novel samples, which lead to the growing concern that many published findings are overly optimistic or even false. In this dissertation, we investigated potential indicators of problems in the published psychological literature. In Part I of this dissertation, we looked at inconsistencies in reported statistical results in published psychology papers. To facilitate our research, we developed the free tool statcheck; a “spellchecker” for statistics. In Part II, we investigated bias in published effect sizes. We showed that in the presence of publication bias, the overestimation of effects can become worse if you combine studies. Indeed, in meta-analyses from the social sciences we found strong evidence that published effects are overestimated. These are worrying findings, and it is important to think about concrete solutions to improve the quality of psychological research. Some of the solutions we propose are preregistration, replication, and transparency. We argue that to select the best strategies to improve psychological science, we need research on research: meta-research.

Perceptions of blended destination image: the case of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manoela Carrillo Valduga ◽  
Zélia Breda ◽  
Carlos Martins Costa
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Hypothesis Testing ◽  
Rio De Janeiro ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Destination Image ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Quantitative Results ◽  
The City

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the image of Brazil and Rio de Janeiro as a blended tourism destination (TD) image, by examining the categories of the image, and whether it is positive or negative and cognitive or affective. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative approach was employed to verify the relations between the image of Brazil and Rio de Janeiro by visit, location, categories and subcategories and dimensions. Data were collected online from a “snowball” sample and were analyzed applying non-parametric hypothesis testing. Statistical analysis was performed with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software version 25.0 for Windows. Findings Results reveal that respondents share the same image of the city of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil, a conclusion that is partially confirmed by statistical findings. The quantitative results also showed that the image is positive and “natural attractions” and “unique city attractions” are, respectively, the most mentioned subcategory and category. Cognitive attributes of the image have been more mentioned than affective ones. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the image of Brazil and Rio de Janeiro as a blended TD image has never been explored before, however, it has been assumed as being the same.

scholarly journals Editor’s note: replication crisis in the social sciences

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 359-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Blaszczynski ◽  
Sally M. Gainsbury
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
The Social ◽  
Replication Crisis

scholarly journals SPSS as a means for Scientific Analysis in Social Science Research

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 2043-2045 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Analytic Thinking ◽  
Huge Data ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Government

SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) is an innovative computerized programming for statistical analysis, specially developed for the social sciences research. Now a day, it is widely used particularly in the huge data analysis. SPSS is a software through which researcher can understand the human behavior, the role and influence of the organization, etc. including the analytic thinking of several indicators of society in a scientific way. Currently, this software is widely exercised by the business hubs, market analysis agencies, and educational institutions and even by the government itself. Simply, we can aver that it assists the researcher in concerning to the documentation of the data. It is a full package software encompasses all forms of statistical analysis which is efficaciously able to convert the quantitative data to qualitative analysis. This present paper is an effort to understand the usability, difficulties and shortcomings of the SPSS software in the social science research.

scholarly journals A surge of p-values between 0.041 and 0.049 in recent decades (but negative results are increasing rapidly too)

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joost de Winter ◽  
Dimitra Dodou
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
The United States ◽  
Physical Sciences ◽  
Questionable Research Practices ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Negative Results ◽  
Significance Threshold ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Positive Results

It is known that statistically significant (positive) results are more likely to be published than non-significant (negative) results. However, it has been unclear whether any increasing prevalence of positive results is stronger in the “softer” disciplines (social sciences) than in the “harder” disciplines (physical sciences), and whether the prevalence of negative results is decreasing over time. Using Scopus, we searched the abstracts of papers published between 1990 and 2013, and measured longitudinal trends of multiple expressions of positive versus negative results, including p-values between 0.041 and 0.049 versus p-values between 0.051 and 0.059, textual reporting of “significant difference” versus “no significant difference”, and the reporting of p < 0.05 versus p > 0.05. We found no support for a “hierarchy of sciences” with physical sciences at the top and social sciences at the bottom. However, we found large differences in reporting practices between disciplines, with p-values between 0.041 and 0.049 over 1990–2013 being 65.7 times more prevalent in the biological sciences than in the physical sciences. p-values near the significance threshold of 0.05 on either side have both increased but with those p-values between 0.041 and 0.049 having increased to a greater extent (2013-to-1990 ratio of the percentage of papers = 10.3) than those between 0.051 and 0.059 (ratio = 3.6). Contradictorily, p < 0.05 has increased more slowly than p > 0.05 (ratios = 1.4 and 4.8, respectively), while the use of “significant difference” has shown only a modest increase compared to “no significant difference” (ratios = 1.5 and 1.1, respectively). We also compared reporting of significance in the United States, Asia, and Europe and found that the results are too inconsistent to draw conclusions on cross-cultural differences in significance reporting. We argue that the observed longitudinal trends are caused by negative factors, such as an increase of questionable research practices, but also by positive factors, such as an increase of quantitative research and structured reporting.

scholarly journals A surge of p-values between 0.040 and 0.049 in recent decades (but negative results are increasing rapidly too)

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joost de Winter ◽  
Dimitra Dodou
Keyword(s):  
Biological Sciences ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Physical Sciences ◽  
P Values ◽  
Questionable Research Practices ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Negative Results ◽  
The Social ◽  
Negative Factors ◽  
Positive Results

It is known that statistically significant results are more likely to be published than results that are not statistically significant. However, it is unclear whether negative results are disappearing from papers, and whether there exists a ‘hierarchy of sciences’ with the social sciences publishing more positive results than the physical sciences. Using Scopus, we conducted a search in the abstracts of papers published between 1990 and 2014, and calculated the percentage of papers reporting marginally positive results (i.e., p-values between 0.040 and 0.049) versus the percentage of papers reporting marginally negative results (i.e., p-values between 0.051 and 0.060). The results indicate that negative results are not disappearing, but have actually become 4.3 times more prevalent since 1990. Positive results, on the other hand, have become 13.9 times more prevalent since 1990. We found no consistent support for a ‘hierarchy of sciences’. However, we did find large differences in reporting practices between disciplines, with the reporting of p-values being 60.6 times more frequent in the biological sciences than in the physical sciences. We argue that the observed longitudinal trends may be caused by negative factors, such as an increase of questionable research practices, but also by positive factors, such as an increasingly quantitative research focus.

scholarly journals Evaluation to prevent the Physical Changes in Colored Elastomeric Modules when exposed to various Dietary Media

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 458-462
Author(s):  
K Pradeep Babu ◽  
A Nanda Kumar ◽  
S Dhivya Kanya ◽  
R Venkatesan
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Artificial Saliva ◽  
Thickness Variation ◽  
Black Module ◽  
Red Color ◽  
The Social ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Physical Changes ◽  
Black Color

ABSTRACT Aim and objective The aim of the study is to analyze and compare the variation of lumen size and thickness of the elastomeric colored modules when immersed in four selected dietary media. Materials and methods Sample size of 40 modules on each color – such as red, blue, green, and black – was taken and immersed in four dietary media (artificial saliva, coke mixed with artificial saliva, turmeric mixed with artificial saliva, and coffee mixed with artificial saliva). Beakers containing different dietary media and color modules are kept in the incubator at 37°C for 72 hours. After incubation period, all the segments of module strips removed from the dietary media were placed under the electric lamp and photographs were taken using Canon camera (SX400 IS). Photographs were transferred to GIMP software, and lumen size and thickness variation in the modules was measured. Results Statistical analysis were performed using analysis of variance and t-test in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software. It showed significant difference in thickness of black module in all dietary media. Significant difference existed between all the lumen sizes of four color modules in four dietary media. Conclusion This study was done to identify the material that has more changes in physical properties when exposed to various dietary media. Clinical significance According to the results obtained, black color modules have increased in lumen size in all dietary media. In thickness, red color module showed less variation and black color module exhibited more variation. How to cite this article Kanya SD, Babu KP, Venkatesan R, Kumar AN. Evaluation to prevent the Physical Changes in Colored Elastomeric Modules when exposed to various Dietary Media. J Contemp Dent Pract 2017;18(6):458-462.

scholarly journals The Effect of Psychological Well-Being and Psychological Empowerment on Job Satisfaction in Intitusion X

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 11-15
Author(s):  
Agil Halis Kesawa ◽  
◽  
Inas Khildah Fatmawati ◽  
Diah Pitaloka Puspitasari ◽  
Budi Prastyo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Psychological Empowerment ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
The Social ◽  
Positive Effect

This study aims to analyze the effect of psychological well-being and psychological empowerment on job satisfaction in institutions x. The sampling technique uses saturated samples with a total of 36 educators working under 10 years. This type of research is quantitative research. The statistical analysis used in this study is the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) with the help of SPSS IBM Version 20.0 software. The results of this study indicate that psychological well-being has no significant effect on job satisfaction. But psychological empowerment has a significant and positive effect on job satisfaction, and psychological well-being and psychological empowerment have a significant and positive effect on job satisfaction. Keywords: Psychological well-being, Psychological Empowerment, Job Satisfaction.

scholarly journals Why hypothesis testers should spend less time testing hypotheses

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne M. Scheel ◽  
Leonid Tiokhin ◽  
Peder Mortvedt Isager ◽  
Daniel Lakens
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Null Hypothesis ◽  
Functional Form ◽  
Reform Movement ◽  
Significance Tests ◽  
Testing Hypotheses ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
The Social ◽  
Unexpected Consequence ◽  
Replication Crisis

For almost half a century, Paul Meehl educated psychologists about how the mindless use of null-hypothesis significance tests made research on theories in the social sciences basically uninterpretable (Meehl, 1990). In response to the replication crisis, reforms in psychology have focused on formalising procedures for testing hypotheses. These reforms were necessary and impactful. However, as an unexpected consequence, psychologists have begun to realise that they may not be ready to test hypotheses. Forcing researchers to prematurely test hypotheses before they have established a sound ‘derivation chain’ between test and theory is counterproductive. Instead, various non-confirmatory research activities should be used to obtain the inputs necessary to make hypothesis tests informative. Before testing hypotheses, researchers should spend more time forming concepts, developing valid measures, establishing the causal relationships between concepts and their functional form, and identifying boundary conditions and auxiliary assumptions. Providing these inputs should be recognised and incentivised as a crucial goal in and of itself. In this article, we discuss how shifting the focus to non-confirmatory research can tie together many loose ends of psychology’s reform movement and help us lay the foundation to develop strong, testable theories, as Paul Meehl urged us to.

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