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Can scientists change their minds?

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Scientific progress depends on researchers updating their beliefs when new evidence arises. McDiarmid and colleagues show that psychologists adjust their beliefs after seeing new results from a replication project. While updating is less than a Bayesian model would justify, it is not undermined by personal investment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand

    Michael Gordon & Thomas Pfeiffer

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  1. Michael Gordon
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  2. Thomas Pfeiffer
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Correspondence to Thomas Pfeiffer.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Gordon, M., Pfeiffer, T. Can scientists change their minds?. Nat Hum Behav 5, 1598–1599 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-021-01201-w

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