Voodoo in Haiti

Voodoo and circularity errors

We briefly describe the circularity/non-independence problem, and our perception of the impact the ensuing discussion has had on fMRI research.

A Simple Guide to Voodoo Statistics

This paper is prompted by over 20 years working as a statistician within the field of educational research. If it is true that we learn by our mistakes, then I can claim to have learned a great deal in that time. I have also encountered a great deal of what I have termed ‘voodoo statistics’ – numerical results, measures and indicators that are not fit for purpose and conceal rather more than th...

Voodoo, Black Magic and the Hawaiian Kahuna.

Voodoo Correlations Are Everywhere-Not Only in Neuroscience.

A recent set of articles in Perspectives on Psychological Science discussed inflated correlations between brain measures and behavioral criteria when measurement points (voxels) are deliberately selected to maximize criterion correlations (the target article was Vul, Harris, Winkielman, & Pashler, 2009). However, closer inspection reveals that this problem is only a special symptom of a broader...

Rebuttal of “Voodoo Correlations in Social Neuroscience” by Vul

The paper by Vul et al., entitled "Voodoo correlations in social neuroscience" and accepted for publication by Perspectives on Psychological Science, claims that "a disturbingly large, and quite prominent, segment of social neuroscience research is using seriously defective research methods and producing a profusion of numbers that should not be believed." In all brevity, we here summarise conc...