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Often, psychologists develop surveys as a means of gathering data. Surveys are lists of questions to be answered by research participants, and can be delivered as paper-and-pencil questionnaires, administered electronically, or conducted verbally. Generally, the survey itself can be completed in a short time, and the ease of administering a survey makes it easy to collect data from a large number of people.
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The file drawer problem in social science survey experiments.

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The file drawer problem, where insignificant results are unpublished, persists in social science survey experiments. However, this tendency has decreased, suggesting greater recognition of null results in research.

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Area of Science:

  • Social Sciences
  • Psychology
  • Political Science

Background:

  • The file drawer problem, the bias towards publishing significant findings over insignificant ones, is prevalent in social sciences.
  • A previous study by Franco et al. examined this issue in survey experiments submitted to the Time-sharing Experiments for the Social Sciences (TESS) program.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the extent of the file drawer problem in survey experiments submitted to TESS after the period covered by Franco et al.
  • To assess whether the open science movement has influenced the publication of insignificant results.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of survey experiments submitted to the TESS data collection program.
  • Comparison of publication trends for statistically significant versus insignificant results in the post-Franco et al. era.

Main Results:

  • Evidence of the file drawer problem was found, with scholars still opting not to publish insignificant results.
  • The prevalence of the file drawer problem is substantially lower than in the decade examined by Franco et al.
  • This reduction coincides with the rise of the open science movement.

Conclusions:

  • While the file drawer problem persists in survey experiments, its magnitude has decreased.
  • There is a growing recognition of the value and importance of publishing null or insignificant results.
  • The open science movement may be contributing to a more balanced publication landscape.