Premature Dissemination of Advice Undermines Our Credibility as Scientists: Reply to Brown (2011) and to Collins, Martino, and Elliott (2011)

Abstract

In our reanalysis of data from the Brown et al. (2006) study (Steinberg & Monahan, 2011), we found no support for the contention that adolescents' exposure to sexy media content hastens their sexual debut. In their critiques of our article, Brown (2011) and Collins, Martino, and Elliott (2011) both questioned some of the decisions we made with respect to how our propensity score analyses were conducted. We point out that the way in which we conducted our analyses is consistent with standard practice in the field. More important, we argue that when small variations in data analytic strategies make significant findings appear and disappear, it is premature to issue advice to parents, practitioners, and policymakers. © 2011 American Psychological Association.