Scientists from dozens of laboratories recently attempted to replicate a hundred studies published in the top three journals of psychology in 2008. The results are surprising that they have been reported across the media: They found that only about 1 in 3 studies could be done. replicated, and the overall size of the reported effect is about half that found in the original study.
Source science wikimedia
So does this mean the science of psychology is mere nonsense? Certainly not. And here's why.
It isn't just psychological science
The researchers showed that they chose to investigate the level of reproductive psychology not because there is something special about psychology, but because they themselves are psychologists. But concerns about reproducibility are widespread in many disciplines.
Consider, for example, biomedical research, which directly affects the lives and health of millions of people. More than half of biomedical findings can not be reproduced. For example, the Bayer pharmaceutical company recently reported that they failed to replicate about two-thirds of published research identifying possible drug targets (Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, vol 10, p 712). During this decade he served as head of global cancer research at Amgen pharmaceutical company C. Glenn Begley and his team sought to replicate 53 important papers on cancer research published in leading journals and conducted by leading laboratories. They found that 47 of 53 can not be replicated (Nature, vol 483, p 531).
Health
- Living a healthy life means making lifestyle choices that support your physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health. This can be a challenge at times, when one side of your health demands more attention than others, and you have to struggle to maintain a good balance. In order for a healthy body, mind and soul, it is important to pay attention to all aspects of health, because your mental, emotional and spiritual health plays a role in your physical health, and vice versa. A good state of health means more than no illness or disorder; it also means having resources to solve problems and circumstances beyond your control and recover from difficult or troubling situations.
Nature
- Driving a car, an agricultural wind turbine, working in a common room, and living in high-rise apartments are all relatively new experiences for human species, but they show that we are very good at adapting to a variety of landscapes. Environmental psychology, which may include ecopsychology and conservation psychology, explores the relationship between humans and the world and how physical space affects the way we feel, think, and interact within landscapes and formations in our environment. Field specialists investigate everything from stressful designs in urban spaces that can affect human performance or even criminal behavior, to the therapeutic effects of open air on children and adults. Environmental psychologists often work with other professionals in the field of environmental sciences, urban planning, architecture and landscape design.
Teamwork
Let's work together: On the playing field, at the office, raising children. Humans are social animals, and civilization is the result of a pooled effort. So it pays to figure out what got us here, and how we can continue to join forces going forward.
Source wikimediaIn 2012, researchers from Nanjing University published a paper on genetics showing microRNAs in rice can regulate genes in liver mice that have eaten rice (Cell Research, 22: 107-26, 2012). The results are very important in the field of transgenic crops. But the results can not be replicated by other laboratories. The researchers concluded that published findings should result from nutritional imbalances as a result of experimental diets given to mice.
Understanding Genetics
All personality traits and characteristics, from heights to fear of heights, are driven by complex gene interactions and environmental feedback. We now know that the vast majority of human genes are expressed in the brain and that almost all normal and irregular behaviors are polygenic, meaning that they are influenced (not said to be caused) by genes. Therefore, scientists are tasked with a massive but more plausible mission: Mapping the path of the gene and mediating power to the person you see in the mirror.
All About Diet
It's no secret that we need calories to meet the basic energy needs of the body. Yet many of us find it difficult to take in the right amount and the right type of fuel. No matter how many guidelines we provide, we still crave what we know is bad for us. And in an era where sweet and fatty snacks are often within reach of a hand, resisting that desire becomes very difficult. So what do the average consumer do? Read on to find out why we behave as we do around food, and what you can do to make eating healthier is a bit easier.
It's the nature of the scientific beast
The researchers pointed out
- Because reproducibility is a credible scientific evidence, it is tempting to think that the maximum reproducibility of the original result is important from the beginning of the line of inquiry through its maturation. It's a mistake. If the initial idea is always right, then there is almost no reason to do research in the first place. Healthy discipline will have many wrong beginnings when it faces the current limits of understanding.
Discipline
- Self-control separates us from our ancestors and the rest of the animal kingdom, thanks to our large prefrontal cortex. It is the ability to subdue our impulses to achieve long-term goals. Instead of responding to direct impulses, we can plan, evaluate alternative actions, and, quite often, avoid doing the things we will regret later. The ability to exercise self-control is usually called determination. That is what enables us to direct our attention, and it underlies all kinds of achievements. There is a significant debate in science as to whether or not volition is a limited resource. Studies show that exercising hard will makes heavy demands on mental energy, especially on glucose reserves, the brain's favored fuel, creating ego depletion. This is one of the reasons we are more likely to grab a chocolate chip cookie when we feel stressed than when we feel at the top of the world. More recently, scientists have failed to replicate some of the research that underlies the concept of ego depletion, and more research is underway.
understanding
Empathy is: the experience of understanding the condition of others from their point of view. You put yourself in their shoes and feel what they feel. Empathy is known to increase prosocial behavior (help). While American culture may socialize people more individualistically than empathic, research has revealed the existence of "mirror neurons," which react to the emotions expressed by others and then reproduce them.
Scientific American blogger Jared Horvath describes three famous replication failure cases from the history of science:
At the turn of the 17th century, Galileo rolled a brass ball onto a wooden plank and concluded that the acceleration he observed confirmed his theory of the law of the fallen body movement. A few years later, Marin Mersenne tried the same experiment and failed to achieve the same precision, causing him to suspect that Galileo fabricated his experiments.
At the beginning of the 19th century, after mixing oxygen with nitrogen, John Dalton concluded that the combinatorial ratios of the elements prove his theory of the law of some proportion. Over a century later, J. R. Parington tried to mimic the tests and concluded that "... it is almost impossible to obtain this simple ratio in mixing nitric oxide and air on water."
At the beginning of the 20th century, Robert Millikan stopped the oil droplets in the electric field, concluding that electrons have a single charge. Shortly afterwards, Felix Ehrenhaft attempted the same experiment and not only failed to achieve the same value, but also observed enough variability to support his own theory of fractional charge.
Science proceeds by these fits and starts, and replication failures don't always spell doom for a scientific endeavor.
- In fact, Dr. John Ioannidis, a professor of medicine at Stanford, argued for years that most of the scientific results were less powerful than researchers believed. In a recent interview with the Washington Post, Ioannidis praised the large-scale research on this replication, and claimed that it should have resulted outside the field of psychology.
Source wikimedia
We like to read about and invest in whiz-bang results.
- Science is an expensive business. It takes a commitment of funds from the public and private sectors. And withdrawing the funds usually means persuading non-scientists holding a wallet strap that a row of research is worth the investment. Progress in working a day in a discipline is rarely successful. In contrast, "whiz-bang", never seen before, a surprising result is what attracts attention. The end result is that scientific journals and popular media increasingly prioritize the novelty of replication when deciding which papers to publish. (The famous Journal of Psychology in this regard). A positive outcome is a must; Negative results rarely see light during the day.
Scientists must publish or perish more so now than ever.
- During coffee with a colleague recently, the conversation shifted to the new pressures faced by the PhD professors in finding science positions that disappeared in the academic world. This position has shrunk by more than 50% in the past decade or so. And that is where the majority of publicly funded scientific research is conducted. He pointed out that it could now take nearly eight years to complete a PhD in neuroscience, and dozens of publications are absolutely necessary to be considered competitive even for a temporary post-doctoral fellowship position.
Neuroscience
The human brain has been called the most complex object in the known universe, and in many ways it is the end of science. A hundred billion neurons, close to quadrillion connections between them, and we do not even fully understand a single cell.
Neuroscience aims to understand how a person emerges from a clump of slippery material. That's where psychology meets biology. And with the new tools we have - computer simulations, medical imaging - we double our knowledge every decade. Roll your sleeves and look around.
The conversation reminded me of one I had at the beginning of my career in the late 80s. My senior colleagues openly admit that they will never make a term if they have held the standards they need to hold their junior colleague. And this is a man whose wife is a full-time housewife, which means they themselves rarely need to cook dinner, do laundry, or take care of the children.
- Making the Most Out of Your Career
We spend a lot of our time in the office, so we love what we do better. Here, how can you work more happily, not to mention smarter and faster? Finding your creative flow and triggering innovative juices is important, like pulling together in team spirit. Of course, for some individuals - those who suffer from conditions such as acute stress - careers are affected by problems beyond normal behavior.
