Andrew Gelman on Social Science, Small Samples, and the Garden of the Forking Paths

Andrew Gelman talks with host Russ Roberts about the challenges facing psychologists and economists when using small samples. Statistically significant results in a small sample would seem to be impressive and would make one even more confident that a larger sample would find even stronger evidence. Yet, larger samples often fail to lead to replication. Gelman discusses how this phenomenon is rooted in the incentives built into human nature and the publication process. The conversation closes with a general discussion of the nature of empirical work in the social sciences.