Debate over social priming research has intensified following an inquiry into the replicability of priming experiments. In a special issue of the journal Social Psychology a team of researchers conlcuded that out of seven “important findings” in the field of social priming, only one could be replicated.

The replication experiments were conducted by research groups such as the Many Labs Replication Project. Each study was reviewed in multiple research labs. 

Some of unreproducible studies included Simone Schall’s cleanliness and morality investigation and a widely publicized study into the effects of flag priming on conservative values. 

The grim findings, say those involved in the replication attempts, indicate the need for “crowdsourcing dozens of laboratories” to achieve accuracy and reliability.

The authors of the original studies think otherwise. Simone Schall has accused the editors of Social Psychology of “defamation”. Schall claimed that the method of the replication was flawed and has published a scathing response in the June edition of the journal. 

The replication trend is likely to continue, with the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology recently announcing it will allow for the publication of replication studies - a groundbreaking shift from their previous editorial moratorium on such papers.