Methods for Advancing an Open, Replicable, and Inclusive Science of Social Cognition

Abstract

Abstract This chapter offers a toolkit of concrete methods and practices that researchers can use to advance open, replicable, and inclusive science. Part One describes how to calibrate confidence in a significant finding to the strength of evidence provided by that finding (e.g. understanding positive predictive value, assessing statistical power, creating effective preregistrations). Part Two describes how to calibrate the scope of a study’s conclusions to the participants and stimuli sampled for that study (e.g. reporting more complete sample characteristics, writing constraints on generality statements, forming effective cross-cultural collaborations). Part Three discusses the importance of approaching the science of social cognition from a range of vantage points and offers recommendations for improving diversity and inclusion in the field (e.g. building diverse and inclusive research teams, understanding positionality). Part Four offers strategies for researchers in different career stages to help change the field’s incentive structures to better support all of these practices.