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Giner-Sorolla R, Montoya AK, Reifman A, Carpenter T, Lewis NA, Aberson CL, Bostyn DH, Conrique BG, Ng BW, Schoemann AM, Soderberg C. Power to Detect What? Considerations for Planning and Evaluating Sample Size. PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY REVIEW 2024; 28:276-301. [PMID: 38345247 DOI: 10.1177/10888683241228328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/23/2024]
Abstract
ACADEMIC ABSTRACT In the wake of the replication crisis, social and personality psychologists have increased attention to power analysis and the adequacy of sample sizes. In this article, we analyze current controversies in this area, including choosing effect sizes, why and whether power analyses should be conducted on already-collected data, how to mitigate the negative effects of sample size criteria on specific kinds of research, and which power criterion to use. For novel research questions, we advocate that researchers base sample sizes on effects that are likely to be cost-effective for other people to implement (in applied settings) or to study (in basic research settings), given the limitations of interest-based minimums or field-wide effect sizes. We discuss two alternatives to power analysis, precision analysis and sequential analysis, and end with recommendations for improving the practices of researchers, reviewers, and journal editors in social-personality psychology. PUBLIC ABSTRACT Recently, social-personality psychology has been criticized for basing some of its conclusions on studies with low numbers of participants. As a result, power analysis, a mathematical way to ensure that a study has enough participants to reliably "detect" a given size of psychological effect, has become popular. This article describes power analysis and discusses some controversies about it, including how researchers should derive assumptions about effect size, and how the requirements of power analysis can be applied without harming research on hard-to-reach and marginalized communities. For novel research questions, we advocate that researchers base sample sizes on effects that are likely to be cost-effective for other people to implement (in applied settings) or to study (in basic research settings). We discuss two alternatives to power analysis, precision analysis and sequential analysis, and end with recommendations for improving the practices of researchers, reviewers, and journal editors in social-personality psychology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Neil A Lewis
- Cornell University & Weill Cornell Medical College, Ithaca, NY, USA
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Silverstein P, Pennington CR, Branney P, O'Connor DB, Lawlor E, O'Brien E, Lynott D. A registered report survey of open research practices in psychology departments in the UK and Ireland. Br J Psychol 2024. [PMID: 38520079 DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
Open research practices seek to enhance the transparency and reproducibility of research. While there is evidence of increased uptake in these practices, such as study preregistration and open data, facilitated by new infrastructure and policies, little research has assessed general uptake of such practices across psychology university researchers. The current study estimates psychologists' level of engagement in open research practices across universities in the United Kingdom and Ireland, while also assessing possible explanatory factors that may impact their engagement. Data were collected from 602 psychology researchers in the United Kingdom and Ireland on the extent to which they have implemented various practices (e.g., use of preprints, preregistration, open data, open materials). Here we present the summarized descriptive results, as well as considering differences between various categories of researcher (e.g., career stage, subdiscipline, methodology), and examining the relationship between researcher's practices and their self-reported capability, opportunity, and motivation (COM-B) to engage in open research practices. Results show that while there is considerable variability in engagement of open research practices, differences across career stage and subdiscipline of psychology are small by comparison. We observed consistent differences according to respondent's research methodology and based on the presence of institutional support for open research. COM-B dimensions were collectively significant predictors of engagement in open research, with automatic motivation emerging as a consistently strong predictor. We discuss these findings, outline some of the challenges experienced in this study, and offer suggestions and recommendations for future research. Estimating the prevalence of responsible research practices is important to assess sustained behaviour change in research reform, tailor educational training initiatives, and to understand potential factors that might impact engagement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priya Silverstein
- Psychology Department, Ashland University, Ashland, OR, USA
- Institute for Globally Distributed Open Research and Education, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | - Peter Branney
- School of Social Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford, UK
| | | | - Emma Lawlor
- Department of Psychology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Ireland
| | - Emer O'Brien
- Department of Psychology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Ireland
| | - Dermot Lynott
- Department of Psychology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Ireland
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3
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Coultas C, Reddy G, Lukate J. Towards a social psychology of precarity. BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2023; 62 Suppl 1:1-20. [PMID: 36637066 PMCID: PMC10108083 DOI: 10.1111/bjso.12618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
This article introduces the special issue 'Towards a Social Psychology of Precarity' that develops an orienting lens for social psychologists' engagement with the concept. As guest editors of the special issue, we provide a thematic overview of how 'precarity' is being conceptualized throughout the social sciences, before distilling the nine contributions to the special issue. In so doing, we trace the ways in which social psychologists are (dis)engaging with the concept of precarity, yet too, explore how precarity constitutes, and is embedded within, the discipline itself. Resisting disciplinary decadence, we collectively explore what a social psychology of precarity could be, and view working with/in precarity as fundamental to addressing broader calls for the social responsiveness of the discipline. The contributing papers, which are methodologically pluralistic and provide rich conceptualisations of precarity, challenge reductionist individualist understandings of suffering and coping and extend social science theorizations on precarity. They also highlight the ways in which social psychology remains complicit in perpetuating different forms of precarity, for both communities and academics. We propose future directions for the social psychological study of precarity through four reflexive questions that we encourage scholars to engage with so that we may both work with/in, and intervene against, 'the precarious'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare Coultas
- School of Education, Communication and Society, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Geetha Reddy
- Department of Psychology and Counselling, Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
| | - Johanna Lukate
- Max-Planck-Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, Göttingen, Germany
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Adam-Troian J, Chayinska M, Paladino MP, Uluğ ÖM, Vaes J, Wagner-Egger P. Of precarity and conspiracy: Introducing a socio-functional model of conspiracy beliefs. BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2023; 62 Suppl 1:136-159. [PMID: 36366839 PMCID: PMC10100481 DOI: 10.1111/bjso.12597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Conspiracy Beliefs (CB) are a key vector of violent extremism, radicalism and unconventional political events. So far, social-psychological research has extensively documented how cognitive, emotional and intergroup factors can promote CB. Evidence also suggests that adherence to CB moves along social class lines: low-income and low-education are among the most robust predictors of CB. Yet, the potential role of precarity-the subjective experience of permanent insecurity stemming from objective material strain-in shaping CB remains largely unexplored. In this paper, we propose for the first time a socio-functional model of CB. We test the hypothesis that precarity could foster increased CB because it undermines trust in government and the broader political 'elites'. Data from the World Value Survey (n = 21,650; Study 1, electoral CB) and from representative samples from polls conducted in France (n = 1760, Study 2a, conspiracy mentality) and Italy (n = 2196, Study 2b, COVID-19 CB), corroborate a mediation model whereby precarity is directly and indirectly associated with lower trust in authorities and higher CB. In addition, these links are robust to adjustment on income, self-reported SES and education. Considering precarity allows for a truly social-psychological understanding of CB as the by-product of structural issues (e.g. growing inequalities). Results from our socio-functional model suggest that implementing solutions at the socio-economic level could prove efficient in fighting CB.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maria Chayinska
- Department of Cognitive, Psychological, and Pedagogical Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Maria Paola Paladino
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | | | - Jeroen Vaes
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
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A Failed Cross-Validation Study on the Relationship between LIWC Linguistic Indicators and Personality: Exemplifying the Lack of Generalizability of Exploratory Studies. PSYCH 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/psych4040059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: Previous meta-analytic research found small to moderate relationships between the Big Five personality traits and different linguistic computational indicators. However, previous studies included multiple linguistic indicators to predict personality from an exploratory framework. The aim of this study was to conduct a cross-validation study analyzing the relationships between language indicators and personality traits to test the generalizability of previous results; (2) Methods: 643 Spanish undergraduate students were tasked to write a self-description in 500 words (which was evaluated with the LIWC) and to answer a standardized Big Five questionnaire. Two different analytical approaches using multiple linear regression were followed: first, using the complete data and, second, by conducting different cross-validation studies; (3) Results: The results showed medium effect sizes in the first analytical approach. On the contrary, it was found that language and personality relationships were not generalizable in the cross-validation studies; (4) Conclusions: We concluded that moderate effect sizes could be obtained when the language and personality relationships were analyzed in single samples, but it was not possible to generalize the model estimates to other samples. Thus, previous exploratory results found on this line of research appear to be incompatible with a nomothetic approach.
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6
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What Can Educational Psychology Learn From, and Contribute to, Theory Development Scholarship? EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY REVIEW 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10648-022-09682-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
AbstractOne of the field of psychology’s stated goals is to produce scholarship with findings that benefit the world. Over the last 10 years, psychology scholarship and its presumed societal benefits have been called into question due to the field’s history of questionable research practices, racism, and epistemic oppression. Calls for methodological, ethical, and practical reforms are essential to building a psychological science that is just, effective, reliable, and beneficial. Recently, these calls have been complemented by a push to reform how theory is developed and used in psychology. There is great need for better understanding and implementation of theory development, both in the field of psychology broadly as well as in its subdisciplines, including educational psychology. At the same time, educational psychologists have much to contribute to the tripartite calls for methodological, ethical, and theory reforms. In this paper, I explore theory development in psychology by discussing the importance of developing both the descriptive and explanatory aspects of theory as well as the need to refine how theory is evaluated and integrated. Then, I review how innovations and practices in educational psychology can inform the broader theory reform movement in psychology writ large. Finally, I identify important future directions for further advancing theory reform in psychology, including addressing ableism in the field, increasing the field’s hospitability for theory revision, furthering theory development transparency, and more deeply integrating theory development into preparation programs.
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Jolles D, Lamarche VM, Rolison JJ, Juanchich M. Who will I be when I retire? The role of organizational commitment, group memberships and retirement transition framing on older worker’s anticipated identity change in retirement. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-02869-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AbstractRetirement is an eagerly awaited life transition for many older workers, but some may anticipate their exit from the workforce will result in loss of meaningful work-based activities and social interactions. For older workers more committed to their organization, retirement might represent a threat to maintaining a consistent, positive identity. Across three pre-registered studies of US adults aged 49 to 75, we investigated the relationship between organizational commitment and anticipated identity changes in retirement. Studies 1 and 2 (N = 1059) found that older workers largely anticipated positive changes to their identity in retirement. In Study 2, we divided older workers into two conditions and used a framing manipulation to present retirement as either a ‘role exit’ or a ‘role entry’. In the ‘role exit’ condition, older workers less committed to their organization anticipated more positive changes when they held more group memberships compared to those with fewer group memberships. Those in the ‘role entry’ condition anticipated significantly more positive changes to their identity in retirement than those in the ‘role exit’ condition, but did not anticipate more positive changes based on organizational commitment or group memberships. More group memberships, but not lower organizational commitment, was associated with more positive anticipation of identity changes in retirement. Study 3 (N = 215) surveyed older adults after they had retired, finding that identity changes experienced post-retirement were less positive than those anticipated by older workers. We discuss the theoretical and applied implications of these findings for older workers’ retirement decisions and wellbeing.
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Campbell DS, Reiman AK. Has social psychology lost touch with reality? Exploring public perceptions of the realism and consequentiality of social psychological research. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2021.104255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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9
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Nosek BA, Hardwicke TE, Moshontz H, Allard A, Corker KS, Dreber A, Fidler F, Hilgard J, Struhl MK, Nuijten MB, Rohrer JM, Romero F, Scheel AM, Scherer LD, Schönbrodt FD, Vazire S. Replicability, Robustness, and Reproducibility in Psychological Science. Annu Rev Psychol 2021; 73:719-748. [PMID: 34665669 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-psych-020821-114157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Replication-an important, uncommon, and misunderstood practice-is gaining appreciation in psychology. Achieving replicability is important for making research progress. If findings are not replicable, then prediction and theory development are stifled. If findings are replicable, then interrogation of their meaning and validity can advance knowledge. Assessing replicability can be productive for generating and testing hypotheses by actively confronting current understandings to identify weaknesses and spur innovation. For psychology, the 2010s might be characterized as a decade of active confrontation. Systematic and multi-site replication projects assessed current understandings and observed surprising failures to replicate many published findings. Replication efforts highlighted sociocultural challenges such as disincentives to conduct replications and a tendency to frame replication as a personal attack rather than a healthy scientific practice, and they raised awareness that replication contributes to self-correction. Nevertheless, innovation in doing and understanding replication and its cousins, reproducibility and robustness, has positioned psychology to improve research practices and accelerate progress. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Psychology, Volume 73 is January 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian A Nosek
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, USA; .,Center for Open Science, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903, USA
| | - Tom E Hardwicke
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, 1012 ZA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Hannah Moshontz
- Addiction Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - Aurélien Allard
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA
| | - Katherine S Corker
- Psychology Department, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, Michigan 49401, USA
| | - Anna Dreber
- Department of Economics, Stockholm School of Economics, 113 83 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Fiona Fidler
- School of Biosciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Joe Hilgard
- Department of Psychology, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois 61790, USA
| | | | - Michèle B Nuijten
- Meta-Research Center, Tilburg University, 5037 AB Tilburg, The Netherlands
| | - Julia M Rohrer
- Department of Psychology, Leipzig University, 04109 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Felipe Romero
- Department of Theoretical Philosophy, University of Groningen, 9712 CP, The Netherlands
| | - Anne M Scheel
- Department of Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5612 AZ Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Laura D Scherer
- University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado 80045, USA
| | - Felix D Schönbrodt
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, 80539 Munich, Germany
| | - Simine Vazire
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville VIC 3052, Australia
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Hodson G. Pushing Back Against the Microaggression Pushback in Academic Psychology: Reflections on a Concept-Creep Paradox. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2021; 16:932-955. [PMID: 34498532 DOI: 10.1177/1745691621991863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Echoing the 1960s, the 2020s opened with racial tensions boiling. The Black Lives Matter movement is energized, issuing pleas to listen to Black voices regarding day-to-day discrimination and expressing frustrations over the slow progress of social justice. However, psychological scientists have published only several opinion pieces on racial microaggressions, primarily objections, and strikingly little empirical data. Here I document three trends in psychology that coincide with the academic pushback against microaggressions: concept-creep concerns, especially those regarding expanded notions of harm; the expansion of right-leaning values in moral judgments (moral foundations theory); and an emphasis on prejudice symmetry, with the political left deemed equivalently biased against right-leaning targets (e.g., the rich, police) as the right is against left-leaning targets (e.g., Black people, women, LGBT+ people). Psychological scientists have ignored power dynamics and have strayed from their mission to understand and combat prejudice against disadvantaged populations, rendering researchers distracted and ill-equipped to tackle the microaggression concept. An apparent creep paradox, with calls to both reduce (e.g., harm) and expand (e.g., liberal prejudices, conservative moral foundations) concepts, poses a serious challenge to research on prejudice. I discuss the need for psychology to better capture Black experiences and to "tell it like it is" or risk becoming an irrelevant discipline of study.
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11
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Nielsen KS, Marteau TM, Bauer JM, Bradbury RB, Broad S, Burgess G, Burgman M, Byerly H, Clayton S, Espelosin D, Ferraro PJ, Fisher B, Garnett EE, Jones JPG, Otieno M, Polasky S, Ricketts TH, Trevelyan R, van der Linden S, Veríssimo D, Balmford A. Biodiversity conservation as a promising frontier for behavioural science. Nat Hum Behav 2021; 5:550-556. [PMID: 33986518 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-021-01109-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Human activities are degrading ecosystems worldwide, posing existential threats for biodiversity and humankind. Slowing and reversing this degradation will require profound and widespread changes to human behaviour. Behavioural scientists are therefore well placed to contribute intellectual leadership in this area. This Perspective aims to stimulate a marked increase in the amount and breadth of behavioural research addressing this challenge. First, we describe the importance of the biodiversity crisis for human and non-human prosperity and the central role of human behaviour in reversing this decline. Next, we discuss key gaps in our understanding of how to achieve behaviour change for biodiversity conservation and suggest how to identify key behaviour changes and actors capable of improving biodiversity outcomes. Finally, we outline the core components for building a robust evidence base and suggest priority research questions for behavioural scientists to explore in opening a new frontier of behavioural science for the benefit of nature and human wellbeing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Theresa M Marteau
- Behaviour and Health Research Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jan M Bauer
- Department of Management, Society and Communication, Copenhagen Business School, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Richard B Bradbury
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Centre for Conservation Science, RSPB, Sandy, UK
| | | | | | - Mark Burgman
- Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Hilary Byerly
- Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Susan Clayton
- Psychology Department, The College of Wooster, Wooster, OH, USA
| | - Dulce Espelosin
- Center for Behavior and the Environment, Rare, Querétaro, México
| | - Paul J Ferraro
- Carey Business School and the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, a joint department of the Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Brendan Fisher
- Gund Institute for Environment, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
- Environmental Program, Rubinstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Emma E Garnett
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Julia P G Jones
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Bangor University, Bangor, UK
| | - Mark Otieno
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Department of Agricultural Resource Management, University of Embu, Embu, Kenya
| | - Stephen Polasky
- Department of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
- Natural Capital Project, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
| | - Taylor H Ricketts
- Gund Institute for Environment, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
- Environmental Program, Rubinstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | | | | | | | - Andrew Balmford
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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12
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Spanish Scientists' Opinion about Science and Researcher Behavior. SPANISH JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2021; 24:e7. [PMID: 33541458 DOI: 10.1017/sjp.2020.59] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
We surveyed 348 Psychology and Education researchers within Spain, on issues such as their perception of a crisis in Science, their confidence in the quality of published results, and the use of questionable research practices (QRP). Their perceptions regarding pressure to publish and academic competition were also collected. The results indicate that a large proportion of the sample of Spanish academics think there is a crisis in Science, mainly due to a lack of economic investment, and doubts the quality of published findings. They also feel strong pressure to publish in high impact factor journals and a highly competitive work climate.
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13
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Berkman ET, Wilson SM. So Useful as a Good Theory? The Practicality Crisis in (Social) Psychological Theory. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2021; 16:864-874. [PMID: 33412079 DOI: 10.1177/1745691620969650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Practicality was a valued attribute of academic psychological theory during its initial decades, but usefulness has since faded in importance to the field. Theories are now evaluated mainly on their ability to account for decontextualized laboratory data and not their ability to help solve societal problems. With laudable exceptions in the clinical, intergroup, and health domains, most psychological theories have little relevance to people's everyday lives, poor accessibility to policymakers, or even applicability to the work of other academics who are better positioned to translate the theories to the practical realm. We refer to the lack of relevance, accessibility, and applicability of psychological theory to the rest of society as the practicality crisis. The practicality crisis harms the field in its ability to attract the next generation of scholars and maintain viability at the national level. We describe practical theory and illustrate its use in the field of self-regulation. Psychological theory is historically and scientifically well positioned to become useful should scholars in the field decide to value practicality. We offer a set of incentives to encourage the return of social psychology to the Lewinian vision of a useful science that speaks to pressing social issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elliot T Berkman
- Department of Psychology and Center for Translational Neuroscience, University of Oregon
| | - Sylas M Wilson
- Department of Psychology and Center for Translational Neuroscience, University of Oregon
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14
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Giner-Sorolla R. On Racism and Justice for Black Lives. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2020.104024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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15
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Van Assche J, Noor M, Dierckx K, Saleem M, Bouchat P, de Guissme L, Bostyn D, Carew M, Ernst-Vintila A, Chao MM. Can Psychological Interventions Improve Intergroup Attitudes Post Terror Attacks? SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PERSONALITY SCIENCE 2020. [DOI: 10.1177/1948550619896139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This research concurrently investigated the effectiveness of three established bias-reducing interventions (i.e., positive affirmation, secure attachment, and cognitive dissonance) in the wake of the Paris and Brussels terror attacks. Using frequentist and Bayesian analyses, Study 1 ( N = 1,676), launched within days of the attacks, found that compared to a control condition, the interventions did not significantly improve intergroup attitudes. Instead, the data showed strong support of the null hypotheses that there were no intervention effects. Proximity to the attacks did not moderate the effect. Study 2 ( N = 285) reexamined the effects of the three interventions 2.5 years after the attacks, generally replicating the pattern of findings in Study 1. Together, this research highlights the challenge of intergroup bias reduction following terror attacks. We conclude by discussing several recommendations for how psychological interventions could play a more impactful role in contexts of heightened conflict.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasper Van Assche
- Department of Developmental, Personality and Social Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium
- Center for Social and Cultural Psychology, University of Leuven, Belgium
| | - Masi Noor
- School of Psychology, Keele University, Staffordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Kim Dierckx
- Department of Developmental, Personality and Social Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium
| | - Muniba Saleem
- Department of Communication Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Institute of Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Pierre Bouchat
- Center for Social and Cultural Psychology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
| | - Laura de Guissme
- Center for Social and Cultural Psychology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
| | - Dries Bostyn
- Department of Developmental, Personality and Social Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium
| | - Mark Carew
- Leonard Cheshire Disability and Inclusive Development Centre, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Andreea Ernst-Vintila
- Laboratoire Parisien de Psychologie Sociale, Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense, Paris, France
| | - Melody M. Chao
- Department of Management, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong
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