Perspectives on Psychological Science

Minimally Sufficient Research

Abstract

Psychology would be improved if researchers stopped using complicated designs, procedures, and statistical analyses for the sole reason that they are able to do so. The present article reviews some of the classic studies in psychology, all of which are breathtakingly simple. The notion of minimally sufficient research is suggested as an ideal worth following. More generally, questions should dictate research methods and statistical analyses, not vice versa.