PAPERZILLA
Crunching Academic Papers into Bite-sized Insights.
About
Sign Out
← Back to papers
Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
The Process of Replication Target Selection in Psychology: What to Consider?
★
★
★
☆
☆
SHARE
Overview
Paper Summary
Conflicts of Interest
Identified Weaknesses
Rating Explanation
Good to know
Topic Hierarchy
File Information
Paper Summary
Paperzilla title
To Replicate or Not to Replicate: Scientists Spill the Tea on Why They Chose *That* Study (and Made a Checklist)
This study developed a 13-item checklist for transparently reporting the rationale behind replication target selection in psychology. Based on surveys and a Delphi study, researchers identified 'interest', 'doubt', 'impact', 'methodology', and 'feasibility' as key considerations when choosing a study to replicate, emphasizing the importance of clear communication over prescriptive guidelines.
Possible Conflicts of Interest
Some of the authors have previously published on the topic of replication, indicating a pre-existing interest and potential bias. However, they employed a transparent, consensus-based approach and disclosed this information.
Identified Weaknesses
Limited Generalizability
The authors acknowledge potential limitations in generalizability due to the sample being heavily drawn from cognitive and experimental, and social psychology. This raises concerns that the checklist may not fully reflect the priorities and considerations of other subfields within psychology or other social sciences.
Arbitrary Consensus
The definition of "consensus" using a median of 7 and IQR of 2 is somewhat arbitrary, as there are no universally agreed-upon criteria. The authors themselves note instability in some item responses, highlighting the subjective nature of the decision process.
Fuzzy Replication Types
The distinction between "close" and "conceptual" replications proved problematic in practice, with respondents applying inconsistent criteria. This blurring of definitions hinders the checklist's application, as it's based on a somewhat artificial typology.
Deviations from Sampling Plan
Although the survey garnered a reasonable number of responses, the authors deviated from their planned sample size and duration for Stage 3, potentially impacting the stability and generalizability of their findings.
Rating Explanation
This registered report presents a useful framework for transparently reporting replication target selection. While the checklist itself is valuable, methodological limitations and issues with defining key concepts (e.g., "consensus," "replication type") prevent a higher rating. The authors' attempts to mitigate potential biases by using crowdsourcing and Delphi methods strengthen the work, while the acknowledged limitations and deviations from the sampling plan warrant some caution.
Good to know
This is our free standard analysis. Paperzilla Pro fact-checks every citation, researches author backgrounds and funding sources, and uses advanced AI reasoning for more thorough insights.
Explore Pro →
Topic Hierarchy
File Information
Original Title:
The Process of Replication Target Selection in Psychology: What to Consider?
File Name:
PittelkowM2023Process.pdf
[download]
File Size:
1.32 MB
Uploaded:
July 14, 2025 at 05:14 PM
Privacy:
🌐 Public
© 2025 Paperzilla. All rights reserved.