Concept Laundering After Replication

When famous effects don’t replicate (stereotype threat, ego depletion, implicit bias), psychologists often keep the concepts by redefining them or claiming only the tools failed. Lived experience and 'common sense' then trump null findings, letting theories persist without strong evidence. — This explains why evidence-light ideas continue to shape policy and training, and argues for tighter construct definitions and evidentiary guardrails before institutional adoption.