Improving the dependability of research in personality and social psychology: recommendations for research and educational practice

The Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) Presidential Task Force on Publication and Research Practices was appointed in response to concerns about the dependability and replicability of research findings in personality and social psychology, a problem that also plagues fields as diverse as physics, economics, biochemistry, medicine and cell biology. In this article the Task Force offers a brief statistical primer and recommendations for improving the dependability of scientific research. Recommendations for research practice include (1) describing and addressing the choice of N (sample size) and consequent issues of statistical power, (2) reporting effect sizes and 95% confidence intervals for findings, (3) avoiding "questionable research practices" that can undermine the assumptions underlying statistical procedures and inflate the probability of Type I error, (4) making available research materials necessary to replicate reported results, (5) adhering to SPSP's data sharing policy, (6) encouraging publication of high quality replication studies, and (7), maintaining flexibility and openness to alternative standards and methods when evaluating research. Recommendations for educational practice include (1) encouraging a culture of "getting it right" rather than "finding significant results," (2) teaching and encouraging transparency of data reporting, (3) improving methodological instruction on topics such as effect size, confidence intervals, statistical power, replication, and the effects of questionable research practices, and (4) modeling sound science and supporting junior researchers who seek to "get it right." The hope is that these recommendations can help lead the way to improved research practices and a more transparent research culture, throughout all of science.