Investigating The Psychological World

A broad theory of research methodology for psychology and the behavioral sciences that offers a coherent treatment of a range of behavioral research methods. This book considers scientific method in the behavioral sciences, with particular reference to psychology. Psychologists learn about research methods and use them to conduct their research, but their training teaches them little about the nature of scientific method itself. In Investigating the Psychological World, Brian Haig fills this gap. Drawing on behavioral science methodology, the philosophy of science, and statistical theory, Haig constructs a broad theory of scientific method that has particular relevance for the behavioral sciences. He terms this account of method the abductive theory of method (ATOM) in recognition of the importance it assigns to explanatory reasoning. ATOM offers the framework for a coherent treatment of a range of quantitative and qualitative behavioral research methods, giving equal treatment to data-analytic methods and methods of theory construction. Haig draws on the new experimentalism in the philosophy of science to reconstruct the process of phenomena detection as it applies to psychology; he considers the logic and purpose of exploratory factor analysis; he discusses analogical modeling as a means of theory development; and he recommends the use of inference to the best explanation for evaluating theories in psychology. Finally, he outlines the nature of research problems, discusses the nature of the abductive method, and describes applications of the method to grounded theory method and clinical reasoning. The book will be of interest not only to philosophers of science but also to psychological researchers who want to deepen their conceptual understanding of research methods and methodological concerns.

"Psychological Investigations" lets readers listen in on one of the most exciting developments in psychology today as it is unfolding. With the current trend in therapy reflecting a movement away from traditional psychology and towards more postmodern psychologies, social therapy, a psychotherapeutic approach developed by Fred Newman, emerges as a qualitatively new way of doing therapy. Social therapy blends philosophy, the arts, and political concerns into a group approach that focuses on improved social functioning. "Psychological" "Investigations" provides insight into the revolutionary development of social therapy--an improvisational, investigatory, development-focused method of treatment. Featuring dialogues drawn from transcripts of teaching and supervisory sessions between Newman and therapists, the book presents a comprehensive guide to the core philosophical and political issues of social therapy and the social therapeutic group process. Instead of introspection and insight--traditional means to self-realization--Newman and social therapy encourages activity, involvement and commitment to causes larger than the individual ego.

Research Methods in Psychology: Investigating Human Behavior draws on fascinating stories to illustrate the entire research process within a unifying conceptual framework. Bestselling authors Paul G. Nestor and Russell K. Schutt present a clear and comprehensive introduction to the logic and techniques of research methods in psychology by employing a unique combination of two distinct yet complementary pedagogical techniques. First, chapters designed for experiential, hands-on studies put the student in the roles of researcher, participant, and consumer to bring concepts to life. Second, the findings of cognitive science guide the text in a way that is most conducive to learning. This novel approach serves as an effective way to make the world of psychological research fun and rewarding for students, in addition to allowing them to gain the foundational knowledge they need to design, conduct, and present research.

Investigating Psychology uses a small selection of classic studies to introduce students to a variety of research methods used by psychologists and to the different approaches to the study of mind and behaviour: the emphasis is on how psychologists carry out their investigations and why.

Science, values, and persons -- Observing -- Imaginative sense-making -- Perspective-taking

"This book undertakes a philosophical examination of a number of important quantitative research methods in the behavioral sciences, in order to overcome the shallow and uncritical understanding that is typically provided by textbooks. The methods are: exploratory data analysis, statistical significance testing, Bayesian confirmation theory and statistics, meta-analysis, and exploratory factor analysis. Further readings are provided to extend the readers' understanding"--

A New York Times Notable Book of 2020 A Bloomberg Best Non-Fiction Book of 2020 A Behavioral Scientist Notable Book of 2020 A Human Behavior & Evolution Society Must-Read Popular Evolution Book of 2020 A bold, epic account of how the co-evolution of psychology and culture created the peculiar Western mind that has profoundly shaped the modern world. Perhaps you are WEIRD: raised in a society that is Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic. If so, you’re rather psychologically peculiar. Unlike much of the world today, and most people who have ever lived, WEIRD people are highly individualistic, self-obsessed, control-oriented, nonconformist, and analytical. They focus on themselves—their attributes, accomplishments, and aspirations—over their relationships and social roles. How did WEIRD populations become so psychologically distinct? What role did these psychological differences play in the industrial revolution and the global expansion of Europe during the last few centuries? In The WEIRDest People in the World, Joseph Henrich draws on cutting-edge research in anthropology, psychology, economics, and evolutionary biology to explore these questions and more. He illuminates the origins and evolution of family structures, marriage, and religion, and the profound impact these cultural transformations had on human psychology. Mapping these shifts through ancient history and late antiquity, Henrich reveals that the most fundamental institutions of kinship and marriage changed dramatically under pressure from the Roman Catholic Church. It was these changes that gave rise to the WEIRD psychology that would coevolve with impersonal markets, occupational specialization, and free competition—laying the foundation for the modern world. Provocative and engaging in both its broad scope and its surprising details, The WEIRDest People in the World explores how culture, institutions, and psychology shape one another, and explains what this means for both our most personal sense of who we are as individuals and also the large-scale social, political, and economic forces that drive human history. Includes black-and-white illustrations.

An argument that we should be optimistic about the capacity of “methodologically omnivorous” geologists, paleontologists, and archaeologists to uncover truths about the deep past. The “historical sciences”—geology, paleontology, and archaeology—have made extraordinary progress in advancing our understanding of the deep past. How has this been possible, given that the evidence they have to work with offers mere traces of the past? In Rock, Bone, and Ruin, Adrian Currie explains that these scientists are “methodological omnivores,” with a variety of strategies and techniques at their disposal, and that this gives us every reason to be optimistic about their capacity to uncover truths about prehistory. Creative and opportunistic paleontologists, for example, discovered and described a new species of prehistoric duck-billed platypus from a single fossilized tooth. Examining the complex reasoning processes of historical science, Currie also considers philosophical and scientific reflection on the relationship between past and present, the nature of evidence, contingency, and scientific progress. Currie draws on varied examples from across the historical sciences, from Mayan ritual sacrifice to giant Mesozoic fleas to Mars's mysterious watery past, to develop an account of the nature of, and resources available to, historical science. He presents two major case studies: the emerging explanation of sauropod size, and the “snowball earth” hypothesis that accounts for signs of glaciation in Neoproterozoic tropics. He develops the Ripple Model of Evidence to analyze “unlucky circumstances” in scientific investigation; examines and refutes arguments for pessimism about the capacity of the historical sciences, defending the role of analogy and arguing that simulations have an experiment-like function. Currie argues for a creative, open-ended approach, “empirically grounded” speculation.