View in EDS HTML Full Text PDF Full Text

Incredible Utility: The Lost Causes and Causal Debris of Psychological Science.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Incredible Utility: The Lost Causes and Causal Debris of Psychological Science.
Authors: Richters, John E. (AUTHOR)
Source: Basic & Applied Social Psychology. Nov/Dec 2021, Vol. 43 Issue 6, p366-405. 40p. 2 Diagrams, 1 Chart.
Subjects: Psychological research, Individual differences, Null hypothesis, Characteristic functions, Sense of coherence, Statistical models
Abstract: Variable-oriented, sample-based individual differences research strategies and statistical modeling approaches to causal-theoretical inference depend on their logic, coherence, justification, and presumed heuristic value on the tacit assumption that individuals are qualitatively the same, homogeneous with respect to the psychological structures and processes underlying their overt functioning, and that quantitative differences between them are produced by exactly the same psychological structures functioning in exactly the same way within each individual. This psychological homogeneity assumption, however, is demonstrably false and invalidated by a substantial body of uncontested scientific evidence documenting psychological heterogeneity as a ubiquitous, defining characteristic of human functioning. This irreconcilable mismatch between the psychological homogeneity assumption of the paradigm and the psychologically heterogeneous realities of its phenomena renders the individual differences methodology intrinsically incapable of advancing theoretical knowledge about the causes of psychological and behavioral phenomena. A detailed look at this mismatch reveals also that it holds considerable explanatory power as the root cause of the slow theoretical progress and replication failures of psychological research, as well as the driving force behind psychology's inability to relinquish its controversial reliance on null hypothesis significance testing as a justification standard for evaluating theoretical claims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Basic & Applied Social Psychology is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
Full text is not displayed to guests.
FullText Links:
  – Type: pdflink
Text:
  Availability: 1
Header DbId: pbh
DbLabel: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
An: 153218404
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Incredible Utility: The Lost Causes and Causal Debris of Psychological Science.
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Richters%2C+John+E%2E%22">Richters, John E.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Basic+%26+Applied+Social+Psychology%22">Basic & Applied Social Psychology</searchLink>. Nov/Dec 2021, Vol. 43 Issue 6, p366-405. 40p. 2 Diagrams, 1 Chart.
– Name: Subject
  Label: Subjects
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychological+research%22">Psychological research</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Individual+differences%22">Individual differences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Null+hypothesis%22">Null hypothesis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Characteristic+functions%22">Characteristic functions</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sense+of+coherence%22">Sense of coherence</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Statistical+models%22">Statistical models</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Variable-oriented, sample-based individual differences research strategies and statistical modeling approaches to causal-theoretical inference depend on their logic, coherence, justification, and presumed heuristic value on the tacit assumption that individuals are qualitatively the same, homogeneous with respect to the psychological structures and processes underlying their overt functioning, and that quantitative differences between them are produced by exactly the same psychological structures functioning in exactly the same way within each individual. This psychological homogeneity assumption, however, is demonstrably false and invalidated by a substantial body of uncontested scientific evidence documenting psychological heterogeneity as a ubiquitous, defining characteristic of human functioning. This irreconcilable mismatch between the psychological homogeneity assumption of the paradigm and the psychologically heterogeneous realities of its phenomena renders the individual differences methodology intrinsically incapable of advancing theoretical knowledge about the causes of psychological and behavioral phenomena. A detailed look at this mismatch reveals also that it holds considerable explanatory power as the root cause of the slow theoretical progress and replication failures of psychological research, as well as the driving force behind psychology's inability to relinquish its controversial reliance on null hypothesis significance testing as a justification standard for evaluating theoretical claims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Basic & Applied Social Psychology is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=153218404
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/01973533.2021.1979003
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 40
        StartPage: 366
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Psychological research
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Individual differences
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Null hypothesis
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Characteristic functions
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sense of coherence
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Statistical models
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Incredible Utility: The Lost Causes and Causal Debris of Psychological Science.
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Richters, John E.
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 11
              Text: Nov/Dec 2021
              Type: published
              Y: 2021
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 01973533
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 43
            – Type: issue
              Value: 6
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Basic & Applied Social Psychology
              Type: main
ResultId 1