PsychoFacts - A Database for Psychological Phenomena
Psychology has a problem with the robustness of its evidence base. This leads to a lack of reproducibility of previously established effects, as well as a shaky base to build theories on. We therefore propose to introduce the phenomenon (Bogen, & Woodward, 1988) as an empirical benchmark. Phenomena are robust and stable patterns, generally evidenced by multiple sets of data. Empirical efforts should strive to establish phenomena instead of testing and constructing theories. Additionally, theories should be constructed to explain and tested on phenomena instead of data. To facilitate this three-level picture we are constructing a database, PsychoFacts, where researchers can submit their phenomena and discuss previously submitted entries. Having a repository for phenomena that are robust and reliable will help researchers construct theories based on relevant empirical findings, as well as test their theories on whether they are able to explain these findings.