David Amodio
@davidamodio.bsky.social
Social Psychology Prof at University of Amsterdam. Prejudice & social cognition using experimental, computational, neuro, & AI approaches.
The moral of this story (yet again): read the fine print.
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November 27, 2025 at 8:11 AM
The moral of this story (yet again): read the fine print.
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Btw, for those interested in the recent replication attempts of dissonance research, see this excellent thread (6/n):
bsky.app/profile/quil...
bsky.app/profile/quil...
there was some discussion on here recently about the scientific legitimacy of cognitive dissonance research. as someone who has spent years investigating this literature, i wanted to make a thread to explain why pessimism is not justified by careful inspection of the evidence
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There’s growing evidence that something was going seriously wrong in the classic early work on cognitive dissonance
Latest revelation: The story in When Prophecy Fails seems to have been fabricated in the most egregious way
But this is not the only one…
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Latest revelation: The story in When Prophecy Fails seems to have been fabricated in the most egregious way
But this is not the only one…
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
November 27, 2025 at 8:11 AM
Btw, for those interested in the recent replication attempts of dissonance research, see this excellent thread (6/n):
bsky.app/profile/quil...
bsky.app/profile/quil...
In any case, "When Prophesy Fails" was never considered an actual empirical study, but an intriguing anecdote and theoretical analysis.
So if the book is now relegated to the fiction aisle, I think we're with fine that 😁
It's the idea that mattered and all the empirical work it inspired
5/n
So if the book is now relegated to the fiction aisle, I think we're with fine that 😁
It's the idea that mattered and all the empirical work it inspired
5/n
November 27, 2025 at 8:11 AM
In any case, "When Prophesy Fails" was never considered an actual empirical study, but an intriguing anecdote and theoretical analysis.
So if the book is now relegated to the fiction aisle, I think we're with fine that 😁
It's the idea that mattered and all the empirical work it inspired
5/n
So if the book is now relegated to the fiction aisle, I think we're with fine that 😁
It's the idea that mattered and all the empirical work it inspired
5/n
Not sure what to make of the rest of the paper—i.e., the detailed examples of specific events and whether they matched Festinger et al.'s account. The differences often seem small, nuanced, or irrelevant to the theory.
But the conclusion—my goodness!—it's a bit much (4/n):
But the conclusion—my goodness!—it's a bit much (4/n):
November 27, 2025 at 8:11 AM
Not sure what to make of the rest of the paper—i.e., the detailed examples of specific events and whether they matched Festinger et al.'s account. The differences often seem small, nuanced, or irrelevant to the theory.
But the conclusion—my goodness!—it's a bit much (4/n):
But the conclusion—my goodness!—it's a bit much (4/n):
I wondered about the author's background/angle: his affiliation is listed as "Independent Scholar, Washington DC"
And in an earlier paper, a letter to the editor in JAMA, as a "Self-employed political consultant, Columbus, Ohio"
So, perhaps not a psychologist. A political consultant? Unclear.
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And in an earlier paper, a letter to the editor in JAMA, as a "Self-employed political consultant, Columbus, Ohio"
So, perhaps not a psychologist. A political consultant? Unclear.
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November 26, 2025 at 3:11 PM
I wondered about the author's background/angle: his affiliation is listed as "Independent Scholar, Washington DC"
And in an earlier paper, a letter to the editor in JAMA, as a "Self-employed political consultant, Columbus, Ohio"
So, perhaps not a psychologist. A political consultant? Unclear.
3/n
And in an earlier paper, a letter to the editor in JAMA, as a "Self-employed political consultant, Columbus, Ohio"
So, perhaps not a psychologist. A political consultant? Unclear.
3/n
The paper incorrectly describes the 'New Look' as a leftwing movement that inspired social psychology—New Look actually refers to Bruner's take on motivated perception, or within dissonance, to Cooper's revision of the theory.
It reads like a low-key rightwing takedown of social psychology...
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It reads like a low-key rightwing takedown of social psychology...
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November 26, 2025 at 3:11 PM
The paper incorrectly describes the 'New Look' as a leftwing movement that inspired social psychology—New Look actually refers to Bruner's take on motivated perception, or within dissonance, to Cooper's revision of the theory.
It reads like a low-key rightwing takedown of social psychology...
2/n
It reads like a low-key rightwing takedown of social psychology...
2/n
Happy birthday, and CONGRATS on the (very well-deserved) tenure vote!!
September 28, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Happy birthday, and CONGRATS on the (very well-deserved) tenure vote!!
Ah, yes—2014! I'll fix that
July 22, 2025 at 5:18 AM
Ah, yes—2014! I'll fix that