Toward a brighter future for psychology as an observation oriented science.
Serious criticisms of psychology's research practices and data analysis methods date back to at least the mid-1900s after the Galtonian school of thought had thoroughly triumphed over the Wundtian school. In the wake of Bem's (2011) recent, highly publicized study on psi phenomena in a prestigious journal, psychologists are again raising serious questions about their dominant research script. These concerns are echoed in the current paper, and Observation Oriented Modeling (OOM) is presented as an alternative approach toward data conceptualization and analysis for the social and life sciences. This approach is rooted in philosophical realism and an attitude toward data analysis centered around causality and common sense. Three example studies and accompanying data analyses are presented and discussed to demonstrate a number of OOM's advantages over current researcher practices.
Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University, 116 North Murray, Stillwater OK 74074, USA.
James W
JW
Grice
The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
Paul T
0000-0003-0018-4391
PT
Barrett
Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University, 116 North Murray, Stillwater OK 74074, USA.
Liz A
LA
Schlimgen
Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University, 116 North Murray, Stillwater OK 74074, USA.
Charles I
CI
Abramson
Observation Oriented Modeling; integrated models; null hypothesis significance testing; research methods