Claims of fraudulent data usage in research papers co-authored by a distinguished Harvard Business School ethics expert have ignited a controversy surrounding the credibility of behavioral science. This discipline’s findings are commonly taught in business schools and applied within companies. While the professor has yet to respond to the specific allegations, this incident has dealt a significant blow to a field that has gained prominence over the past 15 years and whose insights, particularly in decision-making and team-building, are widely adopted in practice. Prominent companies like Coca-Cola and JPMorgan Chase have dedicated executives focused on behavioral science, and governments worldwide have embraced its findings. However, well-established concepts in the field, such as “nudge theory,” are now being called into question.
The Harvard episode has become a prominent topic of discussion among business school circles, indicating a larger replication crisis in psychology. Many research results cannot be reproduced, and some underlying data has been found to be falsified. Academic bloggers have recently alleged the presence of fraud in four academic papers published by Francesca Gino, a professor at Harvard’s School of Business Administration. Gino, who is currently on administrative leave, has acknowledged the seriousness of these allegations and is evaluating her options. Harvard has not commented on the matter.
Bloggers at Data Colada, an academic blog that investigates the evidence behind behavioral science studies, have challenged a study co-authored by Gino that suggested individuals were more likely to honestly report their income when they signed a “declaration of honesty” at the beginning of their tax return. Although the study had already been retracted, Data Colada claims to have found new signs of tampering in the underlying data. Subsequent blog posts have raised doubts about research findings linking dishonesty with creativity and the correlation between feeling authentic and behaving morally.
This incident is not the first time the credibility of behavioral science has been called into question since the publication of Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein’s book “Nudge” in 2008, which propelled the field to popular attention. The exposure of fabricated data in numerous research projects overseen by Dutch researcher Diederik Stapel a decade ago raised concerns about the validity of “social priming,” the idea that cues or prompts can influence people’s behavior. Stapel’s downfall led Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman, a pioneer in behavioral research, to predict a forthcoming “train wreck” in the field.
A paper led by Maximilian Maier at University College London last year even argued that taking proper measures to correct publication bias, which refers to researchers withholding studies that fail to yield significant findings, revealed “no evidence for the effectiveness of nudges.” This revelation cast doubt on the use of behavioral science by government-affiliated “nudge units” such as the UK’s Behavioural Insights Team and the US Office of Evaluation Sciences. However, David Halpern, the current president of the UK’s BIT, countered that publication bias is not exclusive to the field of behavioral science. He emphasized that his team conducts more comprehensive, representative, and robust testing compared to academic research. Halpern further argued that behavioral research can effectively inform government budget allocation, as many organizations lack clarity on the impact of their spending.
Academics stress that scrutinizing and replicating others’ results is a fundamental aspect of normal scientific practice. Nevertheless, behavioral science differentiates itself by swiftly recycling initial results, which are often not yet replicated, into sensational headlines, self-help literature, and business practices. However, scientists are hesitant to call out non-scientists who exaggerate and extrapolate these findings, fearing that doing so may undermine the positive trend towards their field’s growth.
The demand for behavioral insights has resulted in the emergence of numerous consultancies catering to corporate needs. Many individuals, having read “Nudge,” feel empowered to establish themselves as behavioral scientists. Recognizing this trend, Nuala Walsh established the Global Association of Applied Behavioral Scientists in 2020, aiming to establish standards in the field.
To enhance the rigor of behavioral science, experts suggest efforts such as increased sharing of underlying data, streamlining research teams, and exercising caution when interpreting results based on laboratory experiments. They also propose the preregistration of research hypotheses to prevent cherry-picking of data to support predetermined conclusions.
In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, Hans Ijzerman and fellow researchers caution against excessive reliance on behavioral research. They highlight the predominant usage of “weird” study participants, mainly students from Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic societies. Grace Lordan, an associate professor in behavioral science, argues for the emphasis on replication rather than getting sensationalized over novelty in research findings.
Usha Haley, a professor at Wichita State University, warns against the inclination of specialists in behavioral and managerial studies to seek definitive rules and laws comparable to those found in the natural sciences. She attributes the recent scandal to a broader issue spanning two decades concerning knowledge generation in the social sciences and the “physics envy” prevalent in business and economics.
Advocates of behavioral science maintain that recent controversies are exceptions and that the field plays a valuable role in countering baseless predictions about human behavior. For instance, when the pandemic began in 2020, UK health officials initially argued against rapidly implementing infection control measures like lockdowns, citing concerns about “behavioral fatigue.” However, nearly 700 scientists publicly opposed this claim, emphasizing the lack of evidence supporting the concept. The high compliance rates with lockdown rules appeared to validate their skepticism toward the idea of “fatigue.” Concepts like loss-aversion bias and status quo bias continue to have robust evidence supporting their validity. Evidence-based applications in behavioral science include policies that encourage pension contributions and organ donations.
Katy Milkman, a professor at the Wharton School of Business, anticipates positive outcomes from the recent revelations, sparking discussions on making behavioral science more robust and resistant to fraud. The accusations against Gino’s work have far-reaching consequences for co-authors, researchers, students, and colleagues. As Gino herself acknowledged on LinkedIn, there will be more developments surrounding this matter in the future.
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