Algorithms Quote by Susan Fiske
“Some people have set up sort of "gotcha" algorithms that apparently crawl through psychology articles and look for fraudulent p-values [a measure of the likelihood that experimental results weren't a fluke]. But they're including rounding errors that don't change the significance levels of the results, and they're doing it anonymously.”
About This Quote
Source Article: Discussion on reproducibility in psychology, possibly a blog or commentary piece
Algorithms designed to detect false statistical claims may mistakenly flag harmless rounding errors, undermining trust in the review process.
In simple terms: Detection tools can over‑penalize minor errors.
Ensure detection methods distinguish between serious fraud and trivial mistakes.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- peer review
- data analysis
- research publishing
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we improve algorithmic checks without stifling research?
- What safeguards prevent false accusations?
Over‑reliance on automation may miss nuanced judgment.