Difficulties with Replication and Vulnerability of Refutation: the Case of “Ego Depletion Effect”

The aim of the paper is highlighting problems associated with attempts to replicate well-known psychological experiments on the example of the effect of depletion of self-regulation resource, or “ego depletion” (Roy Baumeister). The publication of this effect in 1998 was followed by a lon...

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Main Author: D.A. Leontiev
Format: Article
Language:Russian
Published: Moscow State University of Psychology and Education 2020-01-01
Series:Экспериментальная психология
Online Access:https://psyjournals.ru/en/exp/2020/n4/Leontiev.shtml
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author D.A. Leontiev
author_facet D.A. Leontiev
author_sort D.A. Leontiev
collection DOAJ
description The aim of the paper is highlighting problems associated with attempts to replicate well-known psychological experiments on the example of the effect of depletion of self-regulation resource, or “ego depletion” (Roy Baumeister). The publication of this effect in 1998 was followed by a long and rich history of its checking in varied modifications, attempts to investigate its neurophysiological basis, metaanalyses which provided incoherent results and alternative explanations. The discussions around this effect became especially active in the last five years, when several attempts were published to replicate the effect by joint efforts of a number of independent laboratories; the results were again contradictory. The limitations of the possibility of exact replications are shown on the example of these attempts. The replications, the results of which fail to reproduce the results of the initial study are not to be viewed without reservations as the proofs of invalidation of the initial study, even if they are performed methodologically faultlessly. At the same time, their value consists in the opportunities of considering additional conditions which were initially left without proper consideration, as well as in the emerging alternative explanations.
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spelling doaj.art-fe89ef6d62e04f8e8ed994566c4743292022-12-22T03:31:35ZrusMoscow State University of Psychology and EducationЭкспериментальная психология2072-75932311-70362020-01-0113419220410.17759/exppsy.2020130414Difficulties with Replication and Vulnerability of Refutation: the Case of “Ego Depletion Effect”D.A. Leontiev0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2252-9805National Research University Higher School of Economics The aim of the paper is highlighting problems associated with attempts to replicate well-known psychological experiments on the example of the effect of depletion of self-regulation resource, or “ego depletion” (Roy Baumeister). The publication of this effect in 1998 was followed by a long and rich history of its checking in varied modifications, attempts to investigate its neurophysiological basis, metaanalyses which provided incoherent results and alternative explanations. The discussions around this effect became especially active in the last five years, when several attempts were published to replicate the effect by joint efforts of a number of independent laboratories; the results were again contradictory. The limitations of the possibility of exact replications are shown on the example of these attempts. The replications, the results of which fail to reproduce the results of the initial study are not to be viewed without reservations as the proofs of invalidation of the initial study, even if they are performed methodologically faultlessly. At the same time, their value consists in the opportunities of considering additional conditions which were initially left without proper consideration, as well as in the emerging alternative explanations.https://psyjournals.ru/en/exp/2020/n4/Leontiev.shtml
spellingShingle D.A. Leontiev
Difficulties with Replication and Vulnerability of Refutation: the Case of “Ego Depletion Effect”
Экспериментальная психология
title Difficulties with Replication and Vulnerability of Refutation: the Case of “Ego Depletion Effect”
title_full Difficulties with Replication and Vulnerability of Refutation: the Case of “Ego Depletion Effect”
title_fullStr Difficulties with Replication and Vulnerability of Refutation: the Case of “Ego Depletion Effect”
title_full_unstemmed Difficulties with Replication and Vulnerability of Refutation: the Case of “Ego Depletion Effect”
title_short Difficulties with Replication and Vulnerability of Refutation: the Case of “Ego Depletion Effect”
title_sort difficulties with replication and vulnerability of refutation the case of ego depletion effect
url https://psyjournals.ru/en/exp/2020/n4/Leontiev.shtml
work_keys_str_mv AT daleontiev difficultieswithreplicationandvulnerabilityofrefutationthecaseofegodepletioneffect