Prompt Cast
The Impact of Fabricated Data on Behavioral Science Interventions
TLDR Researchers attempted to use nudges to increase honesty on tax forms, but suspicions arose about the data and fonts used in the experiments. This led to the discovery of faked data, revealing the impact of fraudulent data on real-world interventions in behavioral science.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Researchers Dan Ariely and Francesca Gino gained fame for their research on nudges and honesty, including a simple trick to increase truthfulness in forms by having people sign at the top instead of the bottom.
03:19
Michael Sanders, the chief scientist at the British government's nudge unit, was involved in testing out nudges globally, including the famous idea of having people sign forms at the top instead of the bottom.
07:46
Michael Sanders attempted to use the idea of making people promise to be honest before filling out tax forms in Guatemala to combat tax evasion, but the intervention did not work as expected.
11:03
Researchers attempted to replicate a famous nudge study involving honesty pledges on forms, but the results didn't match the original findings, leading to suspicions about the data and fonts used in the experiment.
14:15
Suspicious data distribution in a famous experiment on honesty pledges led to the discovery of faked data, with a clear spreadsheet command revealing the fabrication.
17:35
Yuri discovered evidence of data manipulation in an experiment involving math problems by utilizing a little-known feature of Excel that tracks movements and changes in data.
21:14
Yuri and his colleagues discovered evidence of data manipulation in experiments conducted by Francesca Gino, revealing fraudulent data and leading to the retraction of papers and administrative leave for Gino.
24:39
Researchers in the field of behavioral science express frustration and concern over the impact of fabricated data on real-world interventions and the credibility of their field.
