All That Glitters
Take the case of a Danish psychologist who fabricated experiments out of whole cloth, for at least a decade, is shining a spotlight on systemic flaws in psychological research.
An investigative committee said Diederik Stapel, a well-known and widely published psychologist of the Netherlands, routinely falsified data and made up entire experiments.
The scandal is just one in a string of embarrassments in a field that critics and statisticians say badly needs overhaul. Psychologists have reported findings that have not stood up to scrutiny in race biases, brain imaging and extrasensory perception.
Dr. Stapel has ran for so long, in large measure because he was lord of the data. The only person with access to experimental data, or, as alleged, was fabricated.
Dutch psychologist Jelte Wichherts says its a widespread problem. He says by not making raw data available for other researchers is a violation of ethical rules.
Fabricated and, even, inaccurate findings make the psychology field look silly, but far more serious ramifications are in forensic contexts. The stakes can include large payouts and deprivations of liberty.
An analysis found nearly half of published studies in prominent scientific journals we’re so seriously defective they amounted to voodoo science that should not be believed.
Research to predict who will be violent are plagued with problems including not adequately describing study search procedures and not checking for overlap samples or publication bias.
Stubborn resistance to efforts for researchers to get their data for reanalysis causes problems. Wicherts says it makes it impossible for us to be confident about the reliability and validity of these researchers' claims.
Potentially unreliable instruments some, not even published, are routinely introduced in court to establish future dangerousness.
Mandatory reforms suggest researchers archive their data for inspection and analysis by others. Important for the credibility of psychology, but in forensic psychology, in particular.
in Witness
Psychology Today
see Intellipedia
see Intellipedia
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