The Replication Crisis in Psychology: An Overview for Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology

Psychology is in a replication crisis that has brought about a period of self-reflection and reform. Yet, this reform appears in many ways to focus primarily on methodological and statistical practices, with little consideration for the foundational issues that concern many theoretical and philosophical psychologists and that may provide a richer account of the crisis. In this article, we offer an overview of the history of the replication crisis, the critiques and reforms at the heart of the crisis, and several points of intersection between the reform movement and broader theoretical and philosophical issues. We argue that the problems of the replication crisis and the concerns of the reform movement in fact provide various points of entry for theoretical and philosophical psychologists to collaborate with reformers in providing a more deeply philosophical critique and reform.