Premium
Commentary: Addressing the Replication and Translation Crises Taking One Step Forward, Two Steps Back? A Plea for Slow Experimental Research Instead of Fast “Participatory” Studies
Author(s) -
IJzendoorn Marinus H.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
new directions for child and adolescent development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.628
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1534-8687
pISSN - 1520-3247
DOI - 10.1002/cad.20308
Subject(s) - plea , internal validity , replication (statistics) , external validity , assertion , instrumental variable , psychology , process (computing) , power (physics) , randomized experiment , computer science , cognitive psychology , social psychology , law , political science , mathematics , statistics , physics , quantum mechanics , machine learning , programming language , operating system
Randomized controlled trials are a special case of designs using an unbiased instrument to take care of confounders even if they are unmeasured or unknown. Another example of studies using instrumental variables is the Mendelian experiment and Directed Acyclic Graphs show the power of such designs to enhance the internal validity. It is argued that internal validity is a necessary condition of ethically sound application of research findings in (clinical) practice and policy. Internal validity can only gradually and slowly be approximated through a spiraling process of ever more exact and varied replications, secondary analyses, meta‐analyses, and umbrella reviews. This advocacy of slow science argues for distinct roles and responsibilities of practitioners and researchers in translational research.