Value of Unexpected Results

Which of the following accurately describes data fabrication in scientific research?

A researcher whose actual study results contradict their hypothesis is justified in replacing those results with invented data that support the hypothesis, because the invented data represent a plausible scientific outcome.

In psychological research, the goal is to understand the world as it actually is. Match each research scenario with the specific analytical reason why it violates the duty to provide an accurate and honest record of empirical observations.

A psychology researcher is evaluating their professional obligations after a study yields findings that contradict their initial hypotheses. Arrange the following researcher considerations in order of their ethical importance, from the most fundamental scientific principle to the most unacceptable violation of research standards.

Imagine you are designing a new 'Research Integrity Protocol' for a psychology department to proactively minimize the risk of data fabrication. Which of the following system designs would be most effective at ensuring that all reported findings correspond to actual empirical observations?

A cognitive psychologist studying memory finds that their sample size is too small to achieve statistical power. Rather than continuing to recruit participants, the researcher creates 10 fake data entries for 'participants' who never actually took part in the study. This unethical practice of inventing non-existent data is called _____.

Because the scientific goal is to understand the world as it actually is, a researcher who invents non-existent data is committing a violation of scholarly integrity known as data _____.

Dr. Marcus conducts a study on social media use and loneliness. After collecting data from 40 participants, the results show no significant relationship — contradicting his hypothesis. Believing the true relationship probably exists but was obscured by his small sample, he adds 10 fictional participant entries before submission so that the analysis yields a significant correlation. Because Dr. Marcus genuinely believed the underlying pattern was real, his addition of fictional data does not constitute data fabrication.

A research methods instructor presents four researcher actions to students studying scholarly integrity. Match each action to the scholarly integrity category that best characterizes it.

A journal editor receives a manuscript in which the data look suspicious — the results are implausibly clean and the reported standard deviations are nearly identical across all conditions. The editor must evaluate the appropriate steps for investigating a potential case of data fabrication. Arrange the following actions in the order they should be carried out to uphold scholarly integrity.

Define data fabrication as a violation of scholarly integrity and explain why a researcher has an ethical duty to avoid it even when their results contradict their hypotheses.

Diagnose Dr. Miller's actions using the ethical principles of scholarly integrity. Explain what violation has occurred, why it is problematic for the goal of science, and what she should have done with the unexpected results instead.

A student researcher is preparing to write their final report, but they realize that their survey results completely contradict their initial hypothesis. To fix this, they consider generating a few fictional survey responses that support their expectations. In one to three sentences, apply the principle of scholarly integrity to explain why the student must not do this.

Value of Unexpected Results

What specifically constitutes data falsification in a research study?

A researcher who removes several data points from their final analysis because the results contradict their original hypothesis is upholding the standards of scholarly integrity.

A team of psychology researchers is reviewing their dataset before publication. Match each researcher's action to its correct classification according to scholarly integrity standards.

A researcher is analyzing a dataset ($N = 60$) and finds that removing four specific participants would change a non-significant result ($p = .08$) into a significant one ($p < .05$). To avoid data falsification and ensure the study accurately reflects the world as it is, arrange the following steps in the correct order for evaluating whether these data points can be omitted.

Match each term related to research ethics with its correct definition or purpose according to the principles of scholarly integrity.

Which of the following statements best reflects the underlying reason why psychological researchers are prohibited from engaging in data falsification, even when their results are unexpected?

In a psychological study on memory with $N = 50$, a researcher discovers that the data does not show the expected significant difference ($p = .07$). To achieve a significant result, the researcher removes the scores of three participants whose performance contradicted the hypothesis. Because the researcher is deleting real observations specifically to ensure the data supports their expectations, they are engaging in data _____.

A researcher studying social media use and loneliness collects data from 80 participants. After running the analysis, she notices that five participants reported unusually low loneliness scores. Without documenting any methodological reason or disclosing the omission in her report, she quietly drops these five cases because she feels they make the data look "too spread out." Applying the principles of scholarly integrity, this researcher has committed data falsification.

A psychology student runs an experiment on test anxiety and academic performance ($N = 45$) and finds no significant relationship between the two variables ($p = .18$). Frustrated by the outcome, she decides to recode several participants' anxiety ratings upward by a few points so that the correlation reaches statistical significance. Breaking down what makes this action a violation of research ethics: the student is engaging in _____, because she is deliberately changing real data values to produce an outcome that was not actually observed in the study.

A researcher completes data collection for a study on exercise frequency and academic motivation ($N = 55$) and finds that the results directly contradict her original hypothesis. Evaluate the steps below and arrange them in the order that best reflects sound scholarly integrity when handling these unexpected results, from the most foundational obligation to the final reporting step.

Define data falsification and explain the fundamental scientific goal and duty that researchers must uphold when reporting their research findings.

Explain why this student's actions constitute data falsification and how this choice conflicts with the primary goal and duty of scientific research.

A psychology researcher completes data collection ($N = 75$) and discovers that the data directly contradicts their hypothesis. Applying the standards of scholarly integrity, what action should the researcher take regarding the data, and what is the scientific justification for this action?