Past exam of the experimental design and methods course of the year 2 of the psychology (experimental) course of the University of Oxford / 2022 / 8 / c / Solution

HARKing means presenting a hypothesis generated after inspecting results as though it had been specified beforehand. For example, after trying several possible factor structures in the lecturer data, a researcher might claim that the best-fitting structure was their original prediction. The problem is the misrepresented evidential history, not the act of discovering a pattern.

Such undisclosed selection makes apparent confirmation too persuasive because the reported test does not represent the whole search that produced the hypothesis. Label new ideas as exploratory, record prior plans through preregistration, disclose the search and evaluate the resulting prediction in independent data. Registered reports and transparent reporting can reduce incentives for that misrepresentation while preserving legitimate exploratory work.^[ref]