Article
Crowdsourcing hypothesis tests: Making transparent how design choices shape research results
Psychological Bulletin
(2020)
Abstract
To what extent are research results influenced by subjective decisions that scientists make as they design studies? Fifteen research teams independently designed studies to answer five original research questions related to moral judgments, negotiations, and implicit cognition. Participants from 2 separate large samples (total N > 15,000) were then randomly assigned to complete 1 version of each study. Effect sizes varied dramatically across different sets of materials designed to test the same hypothesis: Materials from different teams rendered statistically significant effects in opposite directions for 4 of 5 hypotheses, with the narrowest range in estimates being d = −0.37 to + 0.26. Meta-analysis and a Bayesian perspective on the results revealed overall support for 2 hypotheses and a lack of support for 3 hypotheses. Overall, practically none of the variability in effect sizes was attributable to the skill of the research team in designing materials, whereas considerable variability was attributable to the hypothesis being tested. In a forecasting survey, predictions of other scientists were significantly correlated with study results, both across and within hypotheses. Crowdsourced testing of research hypotheses helps reveal the true consistency of empirical support for a scientific claim.
Disciplines
Publication Date
May, 2020
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000220
Citation Information
Justin F Landy, Miaolei Liam Jia, Isabel L. Ding, Domenico Viganola, et al.. "Crowdsourcing hypothesis tests: Making transparent how design choices shape research results" Psychological Bulletin Vol. 146 Iss. 5 (2020) p. 451 - 479 ISSN: 0033-2909 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/elizabeth-mullen/33/