Marvel Cinematic Universe Introductions

Petrinovich’s target article focused on how behavioral science is done, including how it is often done wrong, and how it should be done. I identify another malign influence on behavioral science, which, so far as I know, has, until now, been ignored (I would be happy to be shown that I am wrong on this). To wit, the way that Introductions to papers are written creates a niche that can be exploited for the purposes of promoting one’s work to obtain resources or status, or for self-aggrandizement. I offer a few, probably wrongheaded, suggestions for ending this practice.

Latent Variable Structural Equation Modeling: A Flexible Tool for Establishing Validity and More

Petrinovich highlighted many salient issues in the behavioral and social sciences that are of concern to this day, such as insufficient attention to construct validity. Structural equation modeling, particularly with regard to latent variables, is introduced and discussed in this context. Though conceptual issues remain, analytic and statistical techniques have made immense strides in the past three decades since the article was written, and properly used, offer solutions to many problems Petrinovich identified.

In Defense of Fishing

Using an example from animal cognition, I argue that the problems of bias—inherent in choosing null hypotheses or setting Bayesian priors—can sometimes be avoided altogether by collecting more and better observational data before setting up tests of any sort.

Why Did It Take So Many Decades for the Behavioral Sciences to Develop a Sense of Crisis Around Methodology and Replication?

For several decades, leading behavioral scientists have offered strong criticisms of the common practice of null hypothesis significance testing as producing spurious findings without strong theoretical or empirical support. But only in the past decade has this manifested as a full-scale replication crisis. We consider some possible reasons why, on or about December 2010, the behavioral sciences changed.