Teaching replication through replication to solve the replication “crisis”

Abstract

It may be possible to teach students in undergraduate research methods courses about replication, while simultaneously providing the discipline a means to solve what some have called a replication “crisis.” Over the span of three consecutive fall semesters, students replicated Cialdini and Schroeder’s “even a penny will help” (EPH) donation solicitation experiment. A meta-analysis of the three semesters supports the original study’s finding: a larger percentage donated in the EPH condition. However, it does not find support for no differences in contribution size; instead, the standard request generated greater donation amounts. Recommendations for utilizing methods courses for increasing replication attempts are discussed.