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Disputed results a fresh blow for social psychology

Nature volume 497, page 16 (2013)Cite this article

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17 May 2013 We would like to clarify the following points about this News story: • Contrary to the story, unconscious thought theory, which is concerned with unconscious decision making, is not the same as intelligence priming. • The story refers to the study by David Shanks (D. R. Shanks et al. PLoS ONE 8, e56515; 2013) in which he was unable to replicate the ‘professor/hooligan’ intelligence-priming effect reported by Ap Dijksterhuis. We note that other researchers have observed Dijksterhuis’s intelligence-priming effect. • Contrary to the story, Dijksterhuis has stated that he will provide a protocol to assist in replicating results in the field. He had not, however, provided such a protocol at the time that the story was published. • As the story states, there is no suggestion of fraud in Dijksterhuis’s research, and we are happy to emphasize that there is no suggestion that he has been involved in any misconduct.

A Correction to this article was published on 22 May 2013

This article has been updated

Failure to replicate intelligence-priming effects ignites row in research community.

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Change history

  • 17 May 2013

    We would like to clarify the following points about this News story: • Contrary to the story, unconscious thought theory, which is concerned with unconscious decision making, is not the same as intelligence priming. • The story refers to the study by David Shanks (D. R. Shanks et al. PLoS ONE 8, e56515; 2013) in which he was unable to replicate the ‘professor/hooligan’ intelligence-priming effect reported by Ap Dijksterhuis. We note that other researchers have observed Dijksterhuis’s intelligence-priming effect. • Contrary to the story, Dijksterhuis has stated that he will provide a protocol to assist in replicating results in the field. He had not, however, provided such a protocol at the time that the story was published. • As the story states, there is no suggestion of fraud in Dijksterhuis’s research, and we are happy to emphasize that there is no suggestion that he has been involved in any misconduct.

  • 22 May 2013

    A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/497423a

References

  1. Shanks, D. R. et al. PLoS ONE 8, e56515 (2013).

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  2. Dijksterhuis, A. & van Knippenberg, A. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 74, 865–877 (1998).

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  3. Dijksterhuis, A. & Nordgren, L. F. Persp. Psychol. Sci. 1, 95–109 (2006).

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  4. Huizenga, H. M., Wetzels, R., van Ravenzwaaji, D. & Wagenmakers, E.-J. Organ. Behav. Hum. Decis. Proc. 117, 332–340 (2012).

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Authors
  1. Alison Abbott
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Additional information

See Correspondence ‘Reproducibility: Priming-effect author responds’

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Related links in Nature Research

Announcement: Reducing our irreproducibility 2013-Apr-24

Nobel laureate challenges psychologists to clean up their act 2012-Oct-03

Replication studies: Bad copy 2012-May-16

Related external links

PsychFileDrawer

Kahneman’s open letter from 26 September (PDF)

Perspectives in Psychological Science register replication reports

Cortex registered reports (PDF)

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Abbott, A. Disputed results a fresh blow for social psychology. Nature 497, 16 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/497016a

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