Why Half the Psychology Studies You Cite Don't Replicate

End-of-lesson check

15 questions · take it digitally for instant feedback at tendril.neural-forge.io/learn/quiz/end-builders-research-ai-replication-crisis-explained-r9a10-teen

1. What did researchers discover when they replicated the Stanford Marshmallow Test in 2018?

   1. The study could never be replicated because marshmallows are no longer available
   2. Children today prefer different types of marshmallows
   3. The results were largely explained by family income rather than delayed gratification ability
   4. The original findings were completely false and made up

2. What is 'power posing' based on Amy Cuddy's research?

   1. A training method for people who want to become professional pose models
   2. A type of meditation involving holding your body still
   3. A technique for photographers to capture better portraits
   4. The claim that standing in a powerful pose for two minutes can change your hormone levels and increase confidence

3. What happened when other researchers tried to replicate Amy Cuddy's power posing study?

   1. Power posing was found to work better than originally reported
   2. Researchers discovered the participants were lying about their poses
   3. The findings did not replicate—hormone levels did not change significantly
   4. The findings were replicated perfectly in every country

4. What does it mean when a study 'replicates'?

   1. When other researchers repeat the study and get similar results
   2. When a study is translated into another language
   3. When a researcher copies text from another study
   4. When a study is published in a journal again

5. What is a meta-analysis?

   1. A method for analyzing your own research mistakes
   2. An analysis of a single experiment's data
   3. A type of study that only looks at famous experiments
   4. A study that combines results from many different studies to find overall patterns

6. What is 'p-hacking'?

   1. A type of computer hacking that targets psychology research databases
   2. Manipulating data analysis until statistically significant results appear, often by trying many variables
   3. A method for securely storing research data
   4. The practice of testing only one hypothesis per study

7. What does 'preregistration' mean in research?

   1. Submitting your study to multiple journals at once
   2. Publicly declaring your hypothesis and analysis plan before collecting data
   3. Getting permission from a university to conduct research
   4. Registering a psychology study as a copyright

8. Where can you find catalogs of replication studies?

   1. At the Open Science Framework (osf.io) and psychfiledrawer.org
   2. By searching for the original researcher's personal website
   3. Only in university library archives that require paid access
   4. In the footnotes of popular textbooks

9. What should you ask an AI when checking whether a study has replicated?

   1. 'Summarize the study so I don't have to read it.'
   2. 'What emotions does this study make you feel?'
   3. 'Has [specific study] been successfully replicated? Cite any meta-analysis or replication attempt.'
   4. 'Is this study famous enough to cite?'

10. Why should you be especially careful about citing psychology studies from before 2015?

    1. You cannot access studies from before 2015 online
    2. Many pre-2015 studies have failed to replicate, and citing debunked research hurts your credibility
    3. Pre-2015 studies are all outdated because technology has changed
    4. Psychology did not exist as a field before 2015

11. What is the Open Science Framework (OSF)?

    1. A platform where researchers share data, preregister studies, and track replication attempts
    2. A government agency that regulates psychology experiments
    3. A social network for psychology students
    4. A search engine specifically for marshmallow studies

12. The Stanford Prison Experiment and Milgram experiment are examples of studies that:

    1. Cannot be tested for replication because they are too old
    2. Were proven completely false from the beginning
    3. Have been questioned and may not replicate reliably when examined closely
    4. Have been replicated successfully with identical results every time

13. What is the benefit of checking whether a study has replicated before citing it in an essay?

    1. It makes your essay longer, which always helps grades
    2. It prevents you from using any sources older than five years
    3. It guarantees your teacher will give you an A
    4. It ensures your argument is based on reliable evidence, making your essay stronger

14. What did the original Stanford Marshmallow Test claim?

    1. Marshmallows are unhealthy and should be banned from psychology experiments
    2. Children who ate marshmallows immediately were more intelligent
    3. Children who could delay eating a marshmallow would have better life outcomes as adults
    4. Children should never be given marshmallows as rewards

15. Why is it risky to trust a study's original findings without checking for replications?

    1. Original researchers always lie about their data
    2. Replication studies are always more expensive and take longer
    3. Original studies may have used flawed methods, small samples, or p-hacking that produced false results
    4. Only studies published in the last year need checking