SRCD 2019 Workshop - Tools for Improving the Transparency and Replicability of Developmental Research

The field of psychology has increased focus on factors which influence the robustness and replicability of psychological research, illuminating practices which individual investigators might adopt to improve the credibility of their research. These practices include the pre-registration of study design and analytic plans, sharing of study materials, sharing study data, and the circulation of preprints. In service of facilitating adoption of these practices, several tools have been developed to support them. These tools, however, were largely developed by and for investigators in areas of psychology which do not share the same concerns and constraints as developmental scientists, including longitudinal data collection and data collection with sensitive populations. Given this, features of these tools which accommodate more complex study design, revision, and protections where appropriate are poorly advertised. Further, there exists little formalized instruction in the use of these tools and thus their functionality remains poorly understood outside of niche groups. As a result, many developmentalists may view these tools as unapproachable and may see them as a barrier to adopting more transparent, robust practices. This workshop will provide brief tutorials in the use of these tools in the context of developmental research. Specifically, this workshop will address use of the Open Science Framework and AsPredicted.org for pre-registration of longitudinal designs (including steps for modification and revision of pre-registrations), use of the Open Science Framework to share study materials, use of data repositories to share data with protections, and use of PsyArXiv to solicit feedback on preprints, discover unpublished literature, and share existing published works that may be otherwise protected by a paywall.