A Concise Set of Core Recommendations to Improve the Dependability of Psychological Research

Abstract

Numerous recommendations for improving the dependability of research findings in psychological science have emerged in recent years. Unfortunately, this glut of recommendations proves problematic for advancing uniform solutions to improve research dependability by individuals within and across the various constituencies that comprise psychological science. Moreover, several dependability recommendations propose practices to address the problem of false positive findings that can inversely increase the problem of false negative findings, and vice versa. It is proposed that the solution to this conundrum is to develop a concise and concrete list of core research dependability recommendations that address problems of false positive and false negative findings in a noncontradicting manner. Examination of the current research dependability literature and earlier literatures dealing with the problem of false findings is used to arrive at a set of three core research dependability recommendations: (a) conduct and promote direct replication studies; (b) ensure data sharing when requested by fellow scientists; and (c) adopt and promote a truth seeking mindset during the research endeavor.