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The Replication Crisis: When Science Couldn't Reproduce Itself
How a crisis exposed deep flaws in scientific publishing and statistics
If a famous study can't be repeated, was it ever true in the first place?
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In 2011, a massive project attempted to replicate 100 published psychology studies. Only 36% produced the same results. The 'replication crisis' sent shockwaves through social science and medicine.
Famous findings—power poses boosting testosterone, ego depletion, the Stanford Prison Experiment—failed to replicate or were seriously questioned. The crisis revealed systemic problems, not just isolated bad apples.
The replication crisis teaches us to treat scientific findings as provisional, especially in psychology and nutrition. Single studies rarely settle debates—look for systematic reviews and replicated findings before changing your behavior.
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Question 1 of 3What percentage of psychology studies successfully replicated in the 2011 project?