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Related Concept Videos

Random and Systematic Errors01:20

Random and Systematic Errors

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Scientists always try their best to record measurements with the utmost accuracy and precision. However, sometimes errors do occur. These errors can be random or systematic. Random errors are observed due to the inconsistency or fluctuation in the measurement process, or variations in the quantity itself that is being measured. Such errors fluctuate from being greater than or less than the true value in repeated measurements. Consider a scientist measuring the length of an earthworm using a...
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The atomic mass of an element varies due to the relative ratio of its isotopes. A sample's relative proportion of oxygen isotopes influences its average atomic mass. For instance, if we were to measure the atomic mass of oxygen from a sample, the mass would be a weighted average of the isotopic masses of oxygen in that sample. Since a single sample is not likely to perfectly reflect the true atomic mass of oxygen for all the molecules of oxygen on Earth, the mass we obtain from this...
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Reliability and validity are two important considerations that must be made with any type of data collection. Reliability refers to the ability to consistently produce a given result. In the context of psychological research, this would mean that any instruments or tools used to collect data do so in consistent, reproducible ways.
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Contextual sensitivity in scientific reproducibility.

Jay J Van Bavel1, Peter Mende-Siedlecki2, William J Brady2

  • 1Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003 jay.vanbavel@nyu.edu.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|May 25, 2016
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Replication success in psychology is linked to contextual sensitivity. Studies on topics sensitive to context were less likely to be reproduced, highlighting the need to consider environmental factors in research.

Keywords:
contextmeta-sciencepsychologyreplicationreproducibility

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Reproducibility Research

Background:

  • Reproducibility is a growing concern in science, with a major replication project finding less than 40% of psychology studies successfully reproduced.
  • Methodological issues like low statistical power and publication bias are often cited as causes for poor reproducibility.
  • A debate exists on whether contextual differences, or
  • hidden moderators
  • impact replication success.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of contextual sensitivity of research topics in the success of replications.
  • To determine if the context-dependency of a study's subject matter influences its reproducibility.
  • To offer insights into the debate on whether context affects direct replication outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • The study analyzed 100 original studies from the Reproducibility Project.
  • Each study's research topic was coded for its contextual sensitivity.
  • Statistical analyses were performed to assess the association between contextual sensitivity and replication success, controlling for methodological factors.

Main Results:

  • The contextual sensitivity of a research topic was significantly associated with replication success.
  • This association remained significant even after adjusting for methodological factors like statistical power and effect size.
  • The influence of contextual sensitivity on replication success was consistent across different subdisciplines of psychology.

Conclusions:

  • Contextual factors play a crucial role in the reproducibility of psychological research.
  • Researchers, those conducting replications, and consumers of research should consider the potential impact of context.
  • Mindfulness of contextual sensitivity is recommended for improving reproducibility in psychology.