“Voodoo” Science in Neuroimaging: How a Controversy Transformed into a Crisis
Since the 1990s, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques have continued to advance, which has led researchers and non specialists alike to regard this technique as infallible. However, at the end of 2008, a scientific controversy and the related media coverage called functional neuro...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Social Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/12/1/15 |
| _version_ | 1797437085346430976 |
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| author | Romy Sauvayre |
| author_facet | Romy Sauvayre |
| author_sort | Romy Sauvayre |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Since the 1990s, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques have continued to advance, which has led researchers and non specialists alike to regard this technique as infallible. However, at the end of 2008, a scientific controversy and the related media coverage called functional neuroimaging practices into question and cast doubt on the capacity of fMRI studies to produce reliable results. The purpose of this article is to retrace the history of this contemporary controversy and its treatment in the media. Then, the study stands at the intersection of the history of science, the epistemology of statistics, and the epistemology of science. Arguments involving actors (researchers, the media) and the chronology of events are presented. Finally, the article reveals that three groups fought through different arguments (false positives, statistical power, sample size, etc.), reaffirming the current scientific norms that separate the true from the false. Replication, forming this boundary, takes the place of the most persuasive argument. This is how the voodoo controversy joined the replication crisis. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:14:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5ca242f66190493a8817054db7ee6ce2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0760 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:14:54Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-5ca242f66190493a8817054db7ee6ce22023-12-01T00:33:33ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602022-12-011211510.3390/socsci12010015“Voodoo” Science in Neuroimaging: How a Controversy Transformed into a CrisisRomy Sauvayre0Laboratoire de Psychologie Sociale et Cognitive, CNRS, Université Clermont Auvergne, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, FranceSince the 1990s, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques have continued to advance, which has led researchers and non specialists alike to regard this technique as infallible. However, at the end of 2008, a scientific controversy and the related media coverage called functional neuroimaging practices into question and cast doubt on the capacity of fMRI studies to produce reliable results. The purpose of this article is to retrace the history of this contemporary controversy and its treatment in the media. Then, the study stands at the intersection of the history of science, the epistemology of statistics, and the epistemology of science. Arguments involving actors (researchers, the media) and the chronology of events are presented. Finally, the article reveals that three groups fought through different arguments (false positives, statistical power, sample size, etc.), reaffirming the current scientific norms that separate the true from the false. Replication, forming this boundary, takes the place of the most persuasive argument. This is how the voodoo controversy joined the replication crisis.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/12/1/15controversyneurosciencevoodoomethodologycorrections for multiple comparisonsstatistics |
| spellingShingle | Romy Sauvayre “Voodoo” Science in Neuroimaging: How a Controversy Transformed into a Crisis Social Sciences controversy neuroscience voodoo methodology corrections for multiple comparisons statistics |
| title | “Voodoo” Science in Neuroimaging: How a Controversy Transformed into a Crisis |
| title_full | “Voodoo” Science in Neuroimaging: How a Controversy Transformed into a Crisis |
| title_fullStr | “Voodoo” Science in Neuroimaging: How a Controversy Transformed into a Crisis |
| title_full_unstemmed | “Voodoo” Science in Neuroimaging: How a Controversy Transformed into a Crisis |
| title_short | “Voodoo” Science in Neuroimaging: How a Controversy Transformed into a Crisis |
| title_sort | voodoo science in neuroimaging how a controversy transformed into a crisis |
| topic | controversy neuroscience voodoo methodology corrections for multiple comparisons statistics |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/12/1/15 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT romysauvayre voodooscienceinneuroimaginghowacontroversytransformedintoacrisis |