My Year Moderating the Psychology Wars

I had a front row seat to the replication wars in social psychology. Not just as an active participant who evolved from true believer to full-on skeptic, but as a moderator for a year of a Facebook group where many of the fiercest battles unfolded.

It was, without question, the worst year of my academic life.

The year was 2016. Psychology was at war with itself. Social psychology had split into factions: younger scholars championing reform on one side, established figures defending traditional methods on the other—though you could certainly find older and younger scholars in both camps. My own position was evolving rapidly, but I remained caught between worlds in multiple ways: no longer young, but not quite established either. I remember my amusement when people online referred to me as a “senior and respected scholar.” They were talking about me?

The battlefield of this civil war was primarily social media. At that time, psychology Twitter and Facebook were must-see TV. I'd check them before class, after lecturing, and again at home. You wouldn't want to miss a minute because there was so much drama, practically every single day.

On Monday a paper would drop failing to replicate some sacred finding: “Huh, it turns out that the clothes you wear does not impact cognitive control; who knew?” On Tuesday the critics would gloat, “You see how shitty your so-called science is?” On Wednesday, the establishment would question the replicators’ abilities and motives: “Those second-stringers are trying to get famous by tearing down actual scientists.” On Thursday, some of the critics would escalate to personal attacks: “Yes, Professor X is famous, but he got famous by scientific doping!” On Friday, someone would break down in tears, crying “Shameless little bullies!” Rinse and repeat, with clockwork regularity.

This happened week in and week out for what seemed like an eternity. The replication crisis had been brewing since around 2011, with tensions escalating each year. By 2016, the field had already been through several years of increasingly hostile exchanges. The intensity of these battles made what was objectively a few years feel like decades. As much as I found this entertaining, in a horrifying sort of way, I also felt there could be a better way. Surely, someone could be the adult in the room and help us talk through our issues without so much acrimony...