Re:Classic and contemporary psychology experiments replicated
by tlb on Wednesday November 21, 2018 @12:20PM
(#18504268)
Failure to replicate doesn't prove the original findings were wrong. Other things that can cause replication failure are:
- Poor explanation of experimental procedure, so the replication doesn't match the original experiment.
- Awareness of the effect may invalidate it. For example, it'd be hard to replicate the Stanford Prison Experiment because every psychology undergrad has heard the story.
- Change in social conditions or prevailing attitudes. Consumer behavior (the subject of some of these studies) has changed significantly over the decades. Homophobia (another study) varies dramatically over time and place.
- Poor explanation of experimental procedure, so the replication doesn't match the original experiment.
- Awareness of the effect may invalidate it. For example, it'd be hard to replicate the Stanford Prison Experiment because every psychology undergrad has heard the story.
- Change in social conditions or prevailing attitudes. Consumer behavior (the subject of some of these studies) has changed significantly over the decades. Homophobia (another study) varies dramatically over time and place.