Ep 173: The First Replication of Daryl Bem's Research on Psychic Phenomenon
Apr 23, 2012
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Stuart Ritchie, a researcher at the University of Edinburgh, leads a replication study of Daryl Bem's controversial work on psychic phenomena. They dive into the challenges of validating claims about retroactive influence and the importance of replication in psychology. Ritchie discusses how memory tests provide insight into human recall and the ongoing debate surrounding parapsychology. The conversation emphasizes the necessity of methodological transparency and critical thinking when evaluating such extraordinary claims.
The controversy surrounding Daryl Bem's research on precognition highlights the need for skepticism and critical evaluation in interpreting ambiguous scientific results.
Stuart Ritchie's replication study emphasizes the essential role of replication in psychology, addressing challenges in validating significant findings and ensuring scientific rigor.
Deep dives
Exploration of Precognition and Psychical Phenomena
The episode delves into the controversial topic of precognition and psychical phenomena, spurred by Daryl Bem's study published in a leading psychology journal. Bem's research purportedly provided evidence of psychic abilities, specifically an ability to be influenced by future events. This notion sparked significant debate within the psychological community, as the topic traditionally falls outside mainstream psychological research. The podcast discusses how such findings challenge established scientific conventions and highlight the need for skepticism in interpreting ambiguous results.
Importance of Replication in Scientific Research
The podcast emphasizes the critical role of replication in scientific research, particularly in the field of psychology. Stuart Ritchie’s replication of one of Bem's studies illustrates the challenges scientists face in reproducing significant findings. It is highlighted that replication studies often receive less attention than original research, leading to problems in validating scientific claims. The discussion underscores that robust scientific knowledge cannot be established unless findings can be repeatedly demonstrated across different studies and contexts.
Methodology of Bem's Original Study
The methodology used in Bem's original study is described as unconventional and raises questions about its scientific rigor. Participants were subjected to a memory test involving the recall of a list of words, with a mechanism to evaluate potential retroactive influence from a subsequent exposure to some of those words. This approach aimed to demonstrate whether exposure to future events could enhance memory performance for past information. However, criticisms are raised regarding the statistical significance of the findings and whether the effects observed were substantial enough to support claims of psychic ability.
Scientific Dialogue on Findings and Critiques
The episode also explores the scientific dialogue surrounding the critiques of Bem's findings and the subsequent replication study. Skeptics argue that small effect sizes and variations in statistical analysis raise concerns about the validity of the original research. Ritchie and his colleagues faced challenges in publishing their replication study, as prominent journals expressed disinterest in basic replications, insisting on innovative methodological adjustments instead. This situation highlights the ongoing tension in academia about what constitutes valid contribution, and the balance between novel insights and the necessity for replicable research.
Have psychologists recently found evidence for the existence of psychic ability? Last year, well-known psychologist Daryl Bem published an article called Feeling the Future in which he describes a number of studies, all of which provided support for a kind of phi phenomenon he calls "retroactive influence". The research appeared in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. The article caused a storm of controversy and calls for changes to how research and the peer review process is conducted. I covered some of those recommendations in video episode 165 Psychological Research Under Fire. In this episode I interview the lead author, Stuart Ritchie, of the first published replication of one part of Bem's work. Listen as Stuart describes what he did and what he found on this very controversial topic.
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