The only thing that can stop bad causal inference is good causal inference.

In psychology, causal inference - both the transport from lab estimates to the real world and estimation on the basis of observational data - is often pursued in a casual manner. Underlying assumptions remain unarticulated; potential pitfalls are compiled in post-hoc lists of flaws. The field should move on to coherent frameworks of causal inference and generalizability that have been developed elsewhere.