Bettina Davou

Title:
Contemporary Epistemological Issues in Psychological Research

Brief description:
Over the last decade and in response to what has been termed the ‘replication crisis’, a critical debate has developed in the international psychological community regarding the ways in which research methods are applied in psychology and, consequently, the validity and reliability of research results. Some of the issues that have emerged, beyond failures of reproducibility -the rate for some studies is less than 40%- are methodological biases that have been subsequently revealed in classic “historical” experiments (e.g. Zimbardo’s studies), unclear distinctions between the conceptual definition of a phenomenon and the operational definition required in a psychological experiment etc. This panel discussion will raise some of the contemporary methodological issues facing psychology and discuss possible solutions. Among the topics elaborated are: (i) The phenomenon of ‘publication bias’, which refers to the selective publishing of studies exhibiting significant statistical results, its causes, impact on the scientific landscape, and the role of meta-science in its remediation. (ii) The impact of special real-world circumstances -such as the Covid-19 pandemic- and the need for the scientific community to enhance the robustness and generalizability of methodological choices by confronting the challenges that emerge during critical times. (iii) Recent innovations in qualitative psychological research, including multimodal, pluralistic, and mixed methodologies, shifts from traditionally psychological topics to intersections with other disciplines, and collaborative and participant-based methods of investigation. These trends bring qualitative psychological inquiry face to face with new challenges regarding its purpose, integrity, and effectiveness in addressing the increasingly complex global concerns.