Framework · Behavioral science · Actionable Gamification
Claims never used as mechanisms
Several popular behavioral claims failed replication or were retracted: willpower as a depleting resource, subtle priming, the sign-at-the-top honesty nudge, the Zeigarnik memory effect, 21-day habits, and choice overload or decoys as universal laws. They are never presented as working mechanisms; the nearest valid lever is offered instead.
Plain label: replication-crisis do-not-use listAlso known as: do-not-use list, replication crisis, ego depletion, priming
| Claim | What happened | Use instead |
|---|---|---|
| Willpower runs out (ego depletion) | Multi-lab replications found effects near zero Evidence grade X. Contested: the evidence conflicts or failed to replicate. | Less friction, honest defaults, habit cues |
| Subtle primes change behavior | Key studies failed to replicate Evidence grade X. Contested: the evidence conflicts or failed to replicate. | Treat any "subtle cue" as a hypothesis to test |
| Sign-at-the-top honesty nudge | Retracted in 2021 Evidence grade X. Contested: the evidence conflicts or failed to replicate. | Nothing; don't cite it |
| Unfinished tasks are remembered better | 2025 meta-analysis found no general effect Evidence grade X. Contested: the evidence conflicts or failed to replicate. | Resumption cues F12 |
| 21 days to form a habit | No support Evidence grade X. Contested: the evidence conflicts or failed to replicate. | Ranges and the habit horizon F15 (How are habits formed: modelling habit formation in the real world, Lally et al., European Journal of Social Psychology, 2010) |
| Choice overload as a law | Mean effect near zero; real only with moderators Evidence grade C. Limited evidence: few or small studies. | Simplify when the moderators are present F13 (Choice overload: a conceptual review and meta-analysis, Chernev, Bockenholt & Goodman, Journal of Consumer Psychology, 2015) |
| Decoy pricing as a sure win | Weakens with realistic stimuli Evidence grade C. Limited evidence: few or small studies. | Test decoys; never assume them |
| Losses are always 2x gains | Average near 2, varies widely Evidence grade B. Moderate evidence: solid studies with some limits. | "On average about twice" F03 |
| Bartle types as validated segments | Bartle himself doubted they fit gamification | Data-driven segments |
| Octalysis ratings as measurements | No psychometric validation Evidence grade D. Practitioner framework or anecdote: plausible, untested. | Pair ratings with behavior and need-satisfaction data |
Findings from Brian Wansink's food-psychology lab are not cited; the cap technique GT#68 (Actionable Gamification Ch.10, p.253) carries that evidence warning.
Limits
What we don’t claim
- Octalysis is a practitioner framework built from observing games, not a validated scientific model.Actionable Gamification Ch.15, pp.399-400
- Bartle himself doubted his player types outside the settings he studied.
Sources
Actionable Gamification · Yu-kai Chou
Ch.10, p.253
Estimating the reproducibility of psychological science · Open Science Collaboration, Science, 2015
Evidence grade A. Robust evidence: replicated, peer-reviewed research.A multilab preregistered replication of the ego-depletion effect · Hagger et al., Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2016
Evidence grade X. Contested: the evidence conflicts or failed to replicate.Choice overload: a conceptual review and meta-analysis · Chernev, Bockenholt & Goodman, Journal of Consumer Psychology, 2015
Evidence grade C. Limited evidence: few or small studies.How are habits formed: modelling habit formation in the real world · Lally et al., European Journal of Social Psychology, 2010
Evidence grade B. Moderate evidence: solid studies with some limits.
Book content is paraphrased, never quoted at length. Last verified October 24, 2026.
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