In their latest blog post, Dr. Simonsohn, Dr. Nelson, and Dr. Simmons conducted an analysis of data that Dr. Gino and her co-authors had made available online. Their analysis revealed that certain data points had been manipulated, influencing the outcome of the study. The evidence was found in a digital record within an Excel file.
Interestingly, this is not the first time that the DataColada watchdogs have discovered issues with Dr. Gino’s 2012 paper. In a blog post back in August 2021, these researchers uncovered evidence suggesting that another study published in the same paper had relied on fabricated data.
The study in question had utilized data provided by an insurance company, where customers reported the mileage of their insured cars. The study aimed to show that customers who were asked to attest to the truthfulness of the information at the top of the form were more honest than those who were asked to do so at the bottom of the form.
However, upon analyzing the raw data, Dr. Simonsohn, Dr. Nelson, and Dr. Simmons concluded that many of the data points were not based on actual customer information but had instead been created by someone connected to the study. Consequently, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences retracted the 2012 paper following the publication of the blog post.
It is worth noting that one of the co-authors of the paper, Dan Ariely from Duke University, had obtained the data from the insurance company. Dr. Ariely, a renowned behavioral scientist, expressed his shock and surprise upon learning about the fabricated data, prompting him to proactively retract the paper.
Subsequently, DataColada published additional blog posts providing evidence of fabricated results in two other papers co-authored by Dr. Gino. The bloggers have also announced their intention to release another post highlighting issues in an additional paper on which she collaborated.
While some scholars expressed their astonishment and disbelief at the revelations about Dr. Gino’s work, others acknowledged that the realm of behavioral research, closely related to psychology, often produces findings that may be influenced by questionable research practices.
In sum, the analysis conducted by the DataColada researchers has shed light on the manipulation of data in Dr. Gino’s studies, leading to retractions and raising questions about the methodology employed in behavioral research.
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