What question did this study set out to answer?

The central aim is to challenge the justification for using normal distribution in psychology, emphasizing underlying cultural influences.

On the Tyranny of the Normal Distribution

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The article argues against the default use of normal distribution in psychology, suggesting sociocultural influences shape its acceptance.

The central aim is to challenge the justification for using normal distribution in psychology, emphasizing underlying cultural influences.
Analyzed the historical context of the normal distribution's adoption in psychology.
Discussed how human judgment and behavior typically do not conform to normal distribution.
Illustrated through examples and simulations the implications of assuming normality in statistical analysis.
Demonstrated that the prevalence of positivist thought informed the adoption of normality in psychological analysis.
Showed that psychological data often challenge the assumptions required for normal distribution validity.
Highlighted the misconceptions arising from the assumption of elliptically contoured data in multivariate analysis.

Astivia et al. (2026) studied this question.

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The article argues against the default use of normal distribution in psychology, suggesting sociocultural influences shape its acceptance.