Our Mission

EdVul.com is dedicated to the legacy of Dr. Ed Vul and his powerful commitment to methodological rigor in cognitive neuroscience and psychology. Our mission is to provide an active resource for students, researchers, journalists, and the public to critically examine the statistical methods and practices that form the foundation of scientific discovery.

We believe that good science requires constant self-reflection and a willingness to challenge our own assumptions. This site aims to foster that spirit.

The Legacy of "Voodoo Correlations"

This site is directly inspired by the principles championed in the 2009 paper, "Puzzlingly High Correlations in fMRI Studies of Emotion, Personality, and Social Cognition" (famously known by its original title, the "Voodoo Correlations" paper). That work sparked an essential, field-wide conversation about non-independent analysis, statistical power, and the absolute necessity of replication.

We aim to continue that conversation by exploring topics such as:

• The ongoing Replication Crisis
• Open Science and transparency
• Common statistical pitfalls (p-hacking, HARKing)
• The future of robust, reliable psychological science

About Dr. Ed Vul (1982-2015)

Ed Vul was an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, San Diego. He was a brilliant and creative scientist whose work in computational cognitive science, vision, and learning left a lasting mark on the field.

He is perhaps most widely known for his fearless and insightful critique of methodological standards. His work was a driving force for positive change, pushing the field toward greater transparency and rigor. This site serves as a tribute to his critical thinking and his enduring passion for getting the science right.