title: A reminder on millisecond timing accuracy and potential replication failure in computer-based psychology experiments: An open letter.
abstract: There is an ongoing 'replication crisis' across the field of psychology in which researchers, funders, and members of the public are questioning the results of some scientific studies and the validity of the data they are based upon. However, few have considered that a growing proportion of research in modern psychology is conducted using a computer. Could it simply be that the hardware and software, or experiment generator, being used to run the experiment itself be a cause of millisecond timing error and subsequent replication failure? This article serves as a reminder that millisecond timing accuracy in psychology studies remains an important issue and that care needs to be taken to ensure that studies can be replicated on current computer hardware and software.
authors.affiliation: The Black Box ToolKit Ltd, PO Box 3802, Sheffield, S25 9AG, UK. r.plant@blackboxtoolkit.com.
authors.forename: Richard R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Plant
mesh_terms: D003201:Computers; D006801:Humans; D011584:Psychology / Q000379:methods*; D011589:Psychology, Experimental; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012106:Research; D012984:Software; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Computer-based experiment; Experiment generator; Millisecond timing; Replication failure; Timing error