There seem to be so many pieces of research from basically unrelatable models or points of view; at least often, the results are hard to relate with/to other findings; the results certainly often defy integration (even any imaginable integration). And, many pieces of research continue, just like in the old days, to have a certain 'model test' (often an apparently rather simple supposed-'instance' "of a phenomenon") as something that supposedly represents an entire type (or class) of [that] phenomenon, but actually lacking ecological validity and VERY likely lacking the generality the researchers suppose. Plus, many results are mis-labeled and thus quite misleading. There is some research (not infrequently) that is either trivial or facile -- maybe done to work with some professor and satisfy a requirement (yet also, some may not see it as researching a "flighty" phenomenon or phenomenon that are trivial).
-------------------------
Psychology researchers, friends: How can we make sure this is NOT true? Please don't think the philosophers are going to do it for you -- they too address an idiosyncratic chunk of phenomenon and/or provide very vague or skewed or specialized "overall outlooks" on actual phenomenon.
-------------------------
How do we get out of this situation?
Think: well-grounded (well-founded) research program BASED ON AN OVERALL THEORY that can cover as much behavior as possible. It should also be simple, empirical (even nearly wholly concrete), and thus be fully understandable and (of course) all related hypotheses should be researchable. And, at least, it should be such so that all who should be able to understand it (and this certainly should include undergraduate psychology majors) can, with certainty, clearly understand it. A good overall theory would not be disjointed, extremely complex, vague, or obtuse. Good (necessary) theory forces NOTHING of that kind. Just like working memory: somehow things can be made to be as simple as they need to be (and certainly things can and should be that way when starting out).
Article A Human Ethogram: Its Scientific Acceptability and Importanc...
P.S. In many, many ways psychology reminds one of people working in an old out-dated factory, people who want to keep making things the old inefficient ways and even want to keep making things in incorrect ways. Do you wonder why? Perhaps it is the system in higher education where almost all (or all) have to fall in line behind their advising professor to succeed -- a formula for stagnation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Also, theory development , in the sense of thinking about how to develop a new theory, is rarely (if ever) a topic in psychology departments. All just keep working with the at-odds, incomplete, cumbersome, awkward, disjointed existing theories (and sometimes you cannot really even call them that): Some "theories" are just models (and obviously artificial models) -- like info-processing , or [ad hoc] connectionist theories. Some "theories", like "Relational Developmental Systems Theories" are not even decent enough to be seen as theories, but are seen even by several of their major supporters as "just frameworks". And, then there are some "really cool" actually-just-constructs to play with (like attribution 'theory'), that keep people busy for years (and connect a very limited range of things). THROW IT ALL OUT!! START AGAIN!! Sometimes, you know, this is what you have to do (for YOUR mind, or for any good mind, to make progress) -- yet this doesn't have ANYTHING to do with "throwing away" any decent empirical findings (even from attribution 'theory").
Let me quickly add: You still really have to fully understand existing theories to have "something to bounce off of". You need to see what may be right and what is wrong to build something new.
[ In the last decade, fools have essentially thrown away the most promising theory to a large degree: many have largely abandoned ethology, sometimes or often ridiculously thinking it does not have enough to do with 'learning' .
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Microbiology
- Scientific Research