Replication Crisis & Research Evidence

Based on "like cures like," extreme dilution beyond Avogadro's number increases healing power. The water retains a "memory" of the active substance even when no molecules remain.

As Ebbinghaus's forgetting curve demonstrates, spacing out practice over time dramatically improves long-term retention compared to massed practice.

A 9-month-old infant can be conditioned to fear white rats by repeatedly pairing them with a loud noise. Fear is an acquired response through classical conditioning.

The mere awareness of being observed changes human behavior. Research participants spontaneously improve their productivity or compliance simply because they know they are being watched.

Observing the natural progression of untreated syphilis would clarify disease mechanisms and racial differences in its course.

Naming the ink color of a color word is significantly slower when the word spells a different color (e.g., the word "RED" printed in blue ink) than when they match, because automatic word reading competes with intentional color naming.

Severing neural connections between the frontal lobes and thalamus can cure or substantially relieve severe psychiatric conditions including schizophrenia, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Human needs are arranged in a five-tier pyramid — physiological, safety, social, esteem, self-actualization — and higher needs only emerge after lower needs are satisfied.

In a boys' summer camp, competing groups spontaneously develop prejudice and hostility, and intergroup conflict can be resolved through superordinate goals. Intergroup conflict arises inevitably from resource competition (Realistic Group Conflict Theory).

Embedding messages like "Drink Coke" or "Eat Popcorn" into cinema film at speeds imperceptible to conscious awareness will increase audience purchasing behavior.

Individuals with the "Type A behavior pattern" — competitive, time-pressured, and achievement-driven — face substantially higher coronary artery disease risk compared to the relaxed "Type B" personality.

As Wason's (1960) 2-4-6 task demonstrated, people actively seek evidence that confirms their hypotheses while ignoring or discounting disconfirming evidence. This tendency to preferentially gather and interpret information that supports existing beliefs is one of the most pervasive cognitive biases.

Venting anger by punching pillows, screaming, or cathartic release purges the emotion and reduces aggression. Expressing frustration dissipates the energy behind the anger.

When ordered by an authority figure, 65% of ordinary people will administer lethal electric shocks to strangers. Situational authority overpowers individual moral judgment.

Depression is caused by a "chemical imbalance" — specifically a deficiency of serotonin in the brain — and SSRIs work by correcting this deficit.

Dietary fat and cholesterol are the primary causes of heart disease, while sugar intake is unrelated to cardiovascular disease risk.

Milgram's small-world experiment (1967): participants were asked to forward a letter to a stranger via acquaintance chains. Letters arrived in an average of approximately 6 steps, giving rise to the claim that everyone on Earth is connected through six or fewer intermediaries.

Mere repeated exposure to a stimulus increases liking for it, without any reinforcement or new information. Demonstrated by Zajonc (1968) across faces, Chinese characters, music, and abstract shapes, the effect has broad applications in advertising, design, and interpersonal attraction.

The more bystanders present in an emergency, the less likely any individual will intervene due to diffusion of responsibility. The Kitty Genovese case was popularized as 38 witnesses doing nothing.

Ordinary people, when assigned roles as guards or prisoners, will spontaneously exhibit abusive or submissive behavior. Situational forces override individual character.

Facial expressions corresponding to 6 basic emotions — happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust, and surprise — are universally recognized across cultures and are biologically hardwired.

A young child's ability to delay gratification (resist eating a marshmallow) predicts academic achievement and life success in adulthood.

The left brain handles logic and language (making people "analytical"), while the right brain handles creativity and intuition (making people "creative"), and individuals are dominated by one hemisphere.

An initial number (anchor) biases subsequent judgments even when the anchor is arbitrary or irrelevant. Human reasoning is systematically pulled toward the first piece of information encountered.

Losses loom roughly twice as large as equivalent gains. Loss aversion, as described by prospect theory, is a universal cognitive bias that applies to all humans.

As Tversky & Kahneman's (1981) Asian disease problem demonstrated, people make opposite choices when identical outcomes are framed as gains versus losses. The way information is presented — its frame — fundamentally alters judgment and decision-making.

Visible signs of disorder (broken windows, graffiti) signal that no one cares, inviting escalating crime. Aggressively policing minor disorder prevents serious crime.

Higa Teruo's "Effective Microorganisms" (EM) blend can purify water, improve soil, cure diseases, and even decontaminate radioactive materials — a near-universal solution to environmental and health problems.

Human intelligence is not a single general factor (g), but comprises 8 independent intelligences: linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, spatial, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist.

Brain activity (readiness potential) rises ~350ms before conscious awareness of the intention to move. The brain begins preparing an action before the mind is aware of deciding, suggesting free will may be an illusion.

Holding a pen between the teeth induces an unconscious smile, which increases ratings of cartoon funniness. Facial expressions generate emotions rather than merely expressing them.

People have preferred learning styles (visual, auditory, kinesthetic), and matching instruction to their style improves learning outcomes.

The human mind consists of domain-specific evolved modules (cheater detection, mate selection, etc.) shaped in the Environment of Evolutionary Adaptedness (EEA), explaining modern behavior through Stone Age psychology.

Listening to Mozart raises IQ and intelligence in infants. Playing classical music to babies or fetuses enhances brain development.

Achieving world-class expertise in any domain requires 10,000 hours of deliberate practice, and practice volume determines success more than innate talent.

As Kahneman et al. (1993) demonstrated, retrospective evaluations of experiences are dominated by the peak intensity and the ending, while total duration is largely discounted — a phenomenon known as duration neglect.

Merely being exposed to words associated with the elderly (e.g., "old," "wrinkled") causes participants to walk more slowly afterward, without conscious awareness.

Willpower is a limited cognitive resource that depletes with use. Exerting self-control on one task impairs performance on subsequent tasks requiring self-regulation.

IAT scores measure individuals' unconscious biases and can predict discriminatory behavior. People harbor biases they are unaware of, and these biases influence real-world actions.

The MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) combined vaccine causes intestinal inflammation and a new type of autism. Vaccination should be avoided.

When attention is focused on a demanding task, people fail to notice unexpected but salient stimuli in plain view — even a gorilla walking through the scene. Attention acts as a filter, preventing unattended information from reaching awareness.

People with low ability overestimate their own competence, while highly skilled people tend to slightly underestimate theirs. The less competent you are, the less aware you are of your own incompetence.

After extended Tetris play, people spontaneously see falling blocks when closing their eyes (hypnagogic imagery). Even amnesic patients who could not recall playing experienced this, showing it reflects procedural and perceptual memory formed without conscious episodic memory.

Too many options reduce motivation to choose and satisfaction with the outcome. A display of 6 jams outsold one with 24 jams. Less is more.

Anderson et al. (peak debate circa 2001) claimed that exposure to violent video games increases aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. An APA task force supported this position.

Negative ions emitted by devices or natural sources like waterfalls provide a wide range of health benefits including fatigue recovery, immune enhancement, stress reduction, and allergy relief.

Playing video games dramatically reduces frontal lobe activity to 'dementia-like' patterns. This 'game brain' state causes personality changes and leads to violent or antisocial behavior.

Synthetic chemicals in shampoo and detergent absorb through the skin and accumulate in the uterus and ovaries, causing infertility, uterine fibroids, and hormonal disorders. Claimed dermal absorption rates were 10–100x higher than oral ingestion.

Actively retrieving information from memory through self-testing is substantially more effective for long-term retention than passively re-reading the same material.

Believing that intelligence and abilities are malleable rather than fixed (growth mindset) leads to greater persistence in learning and improved academic outcomes.

The core features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) — difficulties with empathy, imitation, and social understanding — can be explained by dysfunction in the mirror neuron system.

Grit — the combination of passion and perseverance — is a distinct psychological trait that predicts long-term success beyond IQ and talent.

Zimbardo's book extended Stanford Prison Experiment logic: in the right situation, anyone can become evil. Abu Ghraib abuse and similar atrocities follow the same psychological mechanism as the prison study.

Sue et al. (2007): subtle, often unintentional discriminatory comments and behaviors directed at marginalized groups cause cumulative psychological harm — formulated as a 'death by a thousand cuts' of everyday experienced prejudice.

Drinking hydrogen-rich water neutralizes free radicals and prevents or improves cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and aging. Commercial "hydrogen water" products have therapeutic medical effects.

Small changes in choice architecture (nudges) can improve decisions without restricting freedom. Governments and organizations can achieve large behavioral change at low cost.

Adopting expansive "power poses" for two minutes increases testosterone, decreases cortisol, raises risk tolerance, and boosts feelings of confidence.

Psychology samples are overwhelmingly drawn from Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic (WEIRD) populations — typically undergraduates — and generalizing these findings to all of humanity is unjustified.

A series of social psychology findings including "meat eaters are more selfish and less cooperative than vegetarians," linking dietary habits, environments, and stereotypes to social behavior.