Category Archives: Theory

Zombie theories: why so many false ideas stick around

When I talk to friends or family members who do not work in academia, they have beliefs about how science works — beliefs that appear entirely sensible. Most published results are correct or at least plausible, because scientific journals are the most thorough outlets. Errors occur very rarely, and if they do, they are corrected… Read more »

Models and theories

On Theory

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What is a good theory, and what is a bad one? In this blog, I’ll introduce theories, models, phenomena, data, and how they relate to each other. I’ll explain what Paul Meehl, the hypothetico-deductive framework, and the open science reform have in common, and why proposed solutions to problems in our field have largely ignored… Read more »