ANDREW GELMAN has a new blog in which he takes on SUSAN FISKE and her labelling of (some) social media critics of psychological research as “methodological terrorists.”  The blog is a must read for at least two reasons.  First, Gelman gives a fairly detailed history of key papers and events that have led to the current loss of confidence in published research.  Second, Fiske’s article makes it clear that there is a methodological battle going on in psychology (as well as elsewhere).  While she doesn’t target anyone in particular, by implication her shots fall on a large division of researchers.  What Fiske never acknowledges is that the reason social media has played such an important part in this struggle is because the traditional venue of academic discourse — conferences and journals — had been largely shut out to critics.  Social media has allowed the critics of the status quo to achieve impressive gains.  Fiske attempts to repulse this offensive.  Gelman makes it clear that the critics will not fall away upon taking fire. The battle will be joined.  To read more, click here.