«If a psychological effect is this big, we don’t need to discover it and publish it in a scientific journal—you would already know it exists.» On the one hand,

«If a psychological effect is this big, we don’t need to discover it and publish it in a scientific journal—you would already know it exists.» On the one hand, shoudn't we? There are a lot of supposed facts that need to be checked. Also, the size of the supposed effect everybody knows still needs to be measured, if, for instance, comparisons between different populations can be made at all. On the other hand, and personally, I find it to be common sense never to have difficult conversations on an empty stomach.