Further Reading: Chapter 36

Annotated Bibliography for The Learning Society

On Scientific Literacy and the Replication Crisis

Open Science Collaboration. (2015). Estimating the reproducibility of psychological science. Science, 349(6251), aac4716.

The landmark paper documenting the replication crisis in psychology: systematic attempts to replicate 100 published psychology studies found that only about 36-39% replicated at the original effect size. Essential reading for understanding why "new study shows" headlines should be treated with caution.

Ioannidis, J. P. A. (2005). Why most published research findings are false. PLOS Medicine, 2(8), e124.

A provocative and influential paper using statistical reasoning to argue that, given typical study power levels and publication biases, most published research findings will be false positives. Has generated substantial debate and clarification but remains important for understanding systematic biases in published research.

Levitin, D. J. (2016). A Field Guide to Lies: Critical Thinking in the Information Age. Dutton.

A practical guide to evaluating quantitative and qualitative claims in media and science. Levitin covers misleading statistics, base rate neglect, correlation/causation confusion, and logical fallacies in an accessible, engaging format. One of the most practically useful books for developing scientific literacy.

On Media Literacy and Information Evaluation

Wineburg, S., & McGrew, S. (2019). Lateral reading and the nature of expertise: Reading less and learning more when evaluating digital information. Teachers College Record, 121(11), 1–40.

The research paper behind the lateral reading concept. Wineburg and McGrew studied how professional fact-checkers (and professional historians) evaluate digital sources compared to students and professional scientists. Fact-checkers' lateral reading strategy dramatically outperformed deeper engagement with the source. Highly relevant and accessible.

Pariser, E. (2011). The Filter Bubble: What the Internet Is Hiding from You. Penguin Press.

Pariser coined the term "filter bubble" for the personalized information environment created by algorithmic curation. The book documents how search engines and social media platforms personalize content in ways that reduce exposure to diverse perspectives. Some predictions have not fully materialized, but the core argument about algorithmic curation and epistemic risk remains compelling.

Rauch, J. (2021). The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth. Brookings Institution Press.

A thoughtful defense of the "reality-based community" — the network of institutions (science, journalism, law, liberal democracy) designed to produce reliable knowledge through systematic error-correction. Rauch's analysis of why this system is under pressure and why it's worth defending is directly relevant to the learning society argument.

On Epistemic Virtues and Democratic Citizenship

Tetlock, P. E., & Gardner, D. (2015). Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction. Crown.

Tetlock's research on "superforecasters" — people who make dramatically more accurate predictions about world events than average — reveals specific cognitive habits: calibrated confidence, active openness to new evidence, willingness to update, and comfort with probability rather than certainty. These are exactly the epistemic skills this chapter advocates.

Mercier, H., & Sperber, D. (2017). The Enigma of Reason. Harvard University Press.

Mercier and Sperber argue that human reasoning evolved primarily for social justification (convincing others and evaluating others' arguments) rather than individual truth-finding. This explains both why reasoning is often biased and why it works better in collaborative settings. Relevant for understanding why good epistemic practice requires deliberate cultivation, not just natural inclination.

On Learning Science in Educational Policy

Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students' learning with effective learning techniques: Promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4–58.

Cited throughout this book — but in the context of this chapter, its importance is as evidence of the gap between research and practice. This paper, making a clear, accessible case for retrieval practice and distributed learning, was published in 2013. Most classrooms have not adopted its recommendations. This gap is the implementation problem this chapter addresses.

Agarwal, P. K., Roediger, H. L., McDaniel, M. A., & McDermott, K. B. (2020). How to Use Retrieval Practice to Improve Learning. Washington University in St. Louis. (Free at retrievalpractice.org)

A free, teacher-focused guide to implementing retrieval practice in classrooms, specifically designed to bridge the gap between research and practice. If you know a teacher who would benefit from applying learning science, this is the resource to share with them.