Why Summaries of Research on Psychological Theories are Often Uninterpretable

Abstract

Null hypothesis testing of correlational predictions from weak substantive theories in soft psychology is subject to the influence of ten obfuscating factors whose effects are usually (1) sizeable, (2) opposed, (3) variable, and (4) unknown. The net epistemic effect of these ten obfuscating influences is that the usual research literature review is well-nigh uninterpretable. Major changes in graduate education, conduct of research, and editorial policy are proposed.