Uploaded November 2018 | Updated September 2026, 16 hours ago
One positive outcome of the “replication crisis” in science is the recognition that we need an
appropriate conceptual framework for (a) evaluating scientific research, (b) determining
when and why experiments succeed or fail and (c) increasing the successes and minimizing
the failures. In this talk, I put forward one such conceptual framework and use it to critically
evaluate several case studies from past and recent neuroscience. I show that in designing and
implementing experiments and interpreting experimental results, scientists face a number of
competing epistemic desiderata that cannot be satisfied within the context of a single
experiment or research study. Rather, satisfying these desiderata requires an unprecedented
amount of coordination within individual laboratories and across research groups. I put
forward recent work in translational cognitive neuroscience as an example of how such
“coordinated pluralism” may work in practice. I end by considering whether coordinated
pluralism may offer the right recipe for a cumulative neuroscience.
Jacqueline Sullivan, Western University
Rotman 2018 Annual Conference: Understanding Replication Across the Sciences
October 13, 2018
Visit the Rotman website for more information on applications, events, project descriptions, and openings. rotman.uwo.ca
Follow The Rotman Institute on Twitter: twitter.com/rotmanphilo
Like The Rotman Institute on Facebook: facebook.com/rotmanphilosophy
Subscribe to our channel: youtube.com/user/rotmanphilosophy
One positive outcome of the “replication crisis” in science is the recognition that we need an
appropriate conceptual framework for (a) evaluating scientific research, (b) determining
when and why experiments succeed or fail and (c) increasing the successes and minimizing
the failures. In this talk, I put forward one such conceptual framework and use it to critically
evaluate several case studies from past and recent neuroscience. I show that in designing and
implementing experiments and interpreting experimental results, scientists face a number of
competing epistemic desiderata that cannot be satisfied within the context of a single
experiment or research study. Rather, satisfying these desiderata requires an unprecedented
amount of coordination within individual laboratories and across research groups. I put
forward recent work in translational cognitive neuroscience as an example of how such
“coordinated pluralism” may work in practice. I end by considering whether coordinated
pluralism may offer the right recipe for a cumulative neuroscience.
Jacqueline Sullivan, Western University
Rotman 2018 Annual Conference: Understanding Replication Across the Sciences
October 13, 2018
Visit the Rotman website for more information on applications, events, project descriptions, and openings. rotman.uwo.ca
Follow The Rotman Institute on Twitter: twitter.com/rotmanphilo
Like The Rotman Institute on Facebook: facebook.com/rotmanphilosophy
Subscribe to our channel: youtube.com/user/rotmanphilosophy
