Procrastination study by Duke's Dan Ariely retracted
20 days ago
- A 2002 psychology paper on deadlines and procrastination by Dan Ariely and Klaus Wertenbroch has been retracted due to evidence of data tampering.
- The retraction followed analyses by the Data Colada blog, which found anomalies in the original data suggesting manipulation or fabrication.
- A replication study published in the same journal failed to corroborate the original findings, prompting further scrutiny.
- This is the second retraction for Dan Ariely, following a 2012 paper on dishonesty that was retracted over fabricated data.
- The Data Colada team's forensic analysis convinced coauthor Wertenbroch to request retraction, and he praised their thoroughness.
- Ariely acknowledged the issues, stating the data cannot be trusted, and promised to cooperate with the journal's review process.