Evidence-Based Practice and the Reproducibility Crisis in Psychology

By Steven R. Shaw & Joseph D'Intino Evidence-based practice (EBP) is the norm and expectation for providing interventions in school psychology. Moreover, EBP is considered as best practice by the American Psychological Association, American Academy of Pediatricians, American Speech and Hearing Association, and several other professional associations directly related to care of children, and it has also been codified as a legal requirement in special education under IDEA (2004). However, there are two major hurdles to be addressed before EBP can be a true improvement in providing educational and psychological interventions to children and families. The first challenge is that the standard of clinical research limits the generalizability or application of findings to any given situation as nearly all research, including clinical research, is not replicated or reproduced; which limits the implementation of any intervention that might be based upon that research (Coyne, 2016). A second challenge emerges from the first, as clearer standards need to be established regarding the implementation of EBP to allow for the proper integration of research, clinical judgment, client experience and need, and local or cultural constraints. These challenges can be addressed through a concerted effort and partnership by researchers and clinicians with the goal of improving child and family outcomes. The first steps towards doing so are defining new standards for reproducibility and replication in clinical research, as well as EBP, which can then contribute to a balanced implementation approach.