Empirical Psychological Research Research Articles

Classification of Strategies for Dealing with Student Relativism and the Epistemic Conceptual Change Strategy

Student relativism is a widespread phenomenon in introductory philosophy courses. It is a pressing issue for teachers because it seems to undermine the very purpose of philosophy. Since the 1980s there is a debate about how to understand and how to deal with student relativism. However, there is as yet no comprehensive presentation of the debate. The first aim of the article is to offer a classification of the strategies for dealing with student relativism and a presentation and short assessment of the main strategies from the debate. The second aim is to present a new strategy based on the theory of conceptual change and drawing on the results from empirical research in developmental psychology on epistemic cognition. I call it the epistemic conceptual change strategy.

Would a Basic Income Guarantee Reduce the Motivation to Work? An Analysis of Labor Responses in 16 Trial Programs

AbstractMany opponents of BIG programs believe that receiving guaranteed subsistence income would act as a strong disincentive to work. In contrast, various areas of empirical research in psychology (studies of intrinsic motivation; non-pecuniary benefits of work on social identity and purpose; and reactions to financial windfalls such as lottery winnings) suggest that a BIG would not lead to meaningful reductions in work. To test these competing predictions, a comprehensive review of BIG outcome studies reporting data on adult labor responses was conducted. The results indicate that 93 % of reported outcomes support the prediction of no meaningful work reductions when the criterion for support is set at less than a 5 % decrease in either average hours worked per week or the rate of labor participation. Overall, these results indicate that adult labor responses would show no substantial impact following a BIG intervention.

The role of nostalgia in resistance: A psychological perspective

ABSTRACT The role of personal nostalgia in inspiring and sustaining resistance in the Ukraine during World War II was explored in narrative analysis of three memoirs. Common themes identified in the memoirs were compared to findings of current empirical psychological research. Nostalgia fortified the resistance by strengthening cultural identity, social bonds, attachment to home, and continuity of self. Nostalgic memories counteracted loneliness and supported cognitive-emotional coping during and after the struggle. Integration of present and past was instrumental in accepting personal growth in a new homeland. Findings shed light on the interaction between individual and social identity, the relationship between personal and historical nostalgia, and the distinction between healthy and maladaptive nostalgia.

Procedural justice and the law

AbstractThis article considers procedural justice in the law, with specific reference to the adjudicative context of governmental officials applying legal standards to particular cases. We critically survey the three main accounts of procedural justice in the literature: utilitarian, outcome‐based, and dignitarian. Utilitarian and outcome‐based theories share the instrumental view that the only purpose of procedures is to lead to accurate legal outcomes. However, the former are willing to trade off the benefits of accuracy against its costs, whereas the latter hold that procedural rights are necessary to guard against the injustice caused when individuals' legal rights are mistakenly denied. Dignitarian theories maintain that process matters apart from outcomes, because procedures should show respect for individuals' dignity in the Kantian sense of rational agency. We present a new perspective, drawing on relational theory. Relational theory holds that we are social creatures whose self‐identities and sense of self‐respect are bound up with the quality of our relationships with other individuals, groups, and institutions. Our relational account is informed by empirical research in social psychology which has found that people's evaluation of procedures is substantially influenced by relational concerns.

On learning how to live in this strange place

In “How do I live in this strange place?”, Samantha Vice contends that white South Africans ought to feel shame for their unjustly acquired privilege and their morally compromised selves, and recommends that they engage with humility and political silence in projects of personal transformation though private, critical self-examination. On one view, philosophy is in part concerned with practical inquiry into how one might lead a good life, and for many, at least, this necessitates some form of moral learning. Ideally, the philosophers concerned with this question could give practical, action-guiding advice on how one might undertake this moral learning, advice well-supported by evidence and with reasonably good prospects for success. I argue that philosophically “therapeutic” projects of the kind advocated by Vice necessarily involve forms of moral learning, and that a range of empirical research in cognitive, moral, and educational psychology thus bear on their methods and prospects. These considerations undermine the outlook of therapeutic projects that rely principally on solitary methods of critical reflection and introspection. I challenge philosophers to develop more practical, actionable, evidence-based counsel on how to engage in moral learning of the type that Vice and her critics recommend, and I articulate several candidate proposals inspired by research from the educational, learning sciences and debiasing literatures.

War Duration and the Micro-Dynamics of Decision Making under Stress

Previous empirical research has demonstrated that war has negative duration dependence: the longer a war has already lasted, the harder it is to end. Many arguments have been advanced to explain this, including bargaining or commitment problems, domestic politics, entrapment dynamics, sunk costs, and cognitive and emotional biases. Drawing on recent empirical and experimental research in neuroscience, psychology, and stress physiology, this article will examine the micro-dynamics of human decision making in high-stress situations (such as prosecuting and negotiating to end a war) in order to connect these many approaches. In high-stress environments, cognitive functioning usually depletes over time, decreasing top-down regulation of emotions and stress arousal, and thereby increasing subcortical influence on decision making. Depleted cognitive functioning also decreases tolerance of uncertainty and ambiguity, two states endemic to the war termination process, which further exacerbates subcortical influence on decisions. As a result, actors’ ability to absorb and accurately assess information and to make effective decisions may be undermined. This article also connects these micro-dynamics of decision making under stress to some of the arguments previously advanced to explain war’s negative duration dependence.

COGNITION AND TRANSDISCIPLINARY DESIGN: AN EDUCATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERGRADUATE ENGINEERING DESIGN CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

Abstract - Contemporary engineering product design and development no longer adheres to the boundaries of a single discipline and has become tightly integrated, often relying on interaction of multiple disciplines for completion of integrated product design projects. In order to design these products, design and development practice has transcended the discipline boundaries to become a transdisciplinary engineering design process. A collaboration of specialists from different engineering disciplines is required to develop efficient solutions to interdisciplinary problems of product design. Despite this shift from mono-disciplinary to transdisciplinary, the engineering design curriculum remains focused on teaching discipline specific design practice through skill based subject specific pedagogy with a limited emphasis on the importance of design process and transdisciplinarity in the design process. As a result, new graduates starting in design and development organizations face a difficulty finding a common basis of understanding of disciplines’ interactions and must go through a process of often implicit ‘onboarding’ to understand the transdisciplinary engineering design process. This can be avoided by developing and adapting undergraduate design process education in line with industrial demands. This paper proposes a theoretical framework based on empirical engineering design research in industry, educational psychology and teaching approaches such as Bloom’s Taxonomy and Kolb’s Model of Experiential Learning for developing the core elements of a transdisciplinary engineering design process curriculum.

Making school meaningful: linking psychology of education to meaning in life

There is little research about making instruction at school meaningful. This is surprising given that ample research suggests that many students do not find school a meaningful place, as documented by decline in interest during middle school, the frequency of boredom at school and decline in search for meaning among high school students. This article starts with an outline that considers both objective and subjective meaning in life. A review on different aspects of meaning in school, such as teaching meaning, purpose, identity, coherence, caring, aesthetics and agency, suggest that many ways to improve meaning in school have been underused and understudied. The inclusion of the philosophy of meaning in life extends the scope of research on interest by adding new components of objective meaning that may enrich school activities. This article will review both what has been done and what needs to be done. The article concludes that taking the perspective of meaning in life into account would open new avenues for empirical research in educational psychology.

Posttraumatic Growth in Case of Internal Displacement

Most of the empirical research in trauma psychology focuses on posttraumatic reactions, rather than on positive outcomes besides increased attention to contributing factors to the concept of posttraumatic growth. The study presented in this paper investigates the role of religious commitment on the one hand and religious and nonreligious coping on the other as contributing factors to posttraumatic growth among Internally Displaced Persons (IDPS) in Georgia. Based on data from N = 190 IDPS, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to understand posttraumatic growth and the role of religiosity as a coping resource and strategy. Results indicate that religious commitment is not directly related to areas of posttraumatic growth but it has a positive impact on posttraumatic growth when it fosters religious and non-religious ways of coping. Each and every component has shown to have unique contribution to the outcome variable. Finally, implications of the practical value and for the field in general are discussed.

Parsimony versus Reductionism: How Can Crowd Psychology be Introduced into Computer Simulation?

Computer simulations are increasingly being used to monitor and predict the movement behavior of crowds. This can enhance crowd safety at large events and transport hubs, and increase efficiency such as capacity utilization in public transport systems. However, the models used are mainly based on video observations, not an understanding of human decision making. Theories of crowd psychology can elucidate the factors underpinning collective behavior in human crowds. Yet, in contrast to psychology, computer science must rely upon mathematical formulations in order to implement algorithms and keep models manageable. Here, we address the problems and possible solutions encountered when incorporating social psychological theories of collective behavior in computer modeling. We identify that one primary issue is retaining parsimony in a model while avoiding reductionism by excluding necessary aspects of crowd psychology, such as the behavior of groups. We propose cognitive heuristics as a potential avenue to create a parsimonious model that incorporates core concepts of collective behavior derived from empirical research in crowd psychology.

Reflecting on Jesus' Teaching on Humility from a Positive Psychological Perspective

In its quest for a non-medical, pro-health approach to psychotherapy, positive psychology focuses on concepts that are also biblical and specifically present in the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth. In this article, the concept of "humility" in the teaching of Jesus as represented in the Synoptic tradition will be compared to recent positive psychological approaches (e.g., Tangney). Attention will be paid to (1) a definition of humility; (2) empirical psychological research on humility; (3) humility in the OT, Jewish and other religious and philosophical traditions; (4) Jesus of Nazareth's special focus on humility; (5) the (dis)advantages of humility in the quest for a better world; and (6) interventions to promote humility.

Bad apples or corrupting barrels? Preventing traders’ misconduct

Purpose This paper aims to identify social psychological root causes of misconduct by traders and offers practical guidelines to prevent misconduct. Design/methodology/approach The authors use insights on social psychological mechanisms to examine current business practices observed in the context of supervisory activities. Case examples were collected at Dutch and European banks, including major institutions. This is an opinion peace that interprets regulator experiences from a social psychological perspective. Findings The authors characterize standard responses to misconduct in trading as reactive and elucidate why this “bad apples” perspective is insufficiently effective. As an alternative, the authors address the social psychological root causes of misconduct within trading teams. The “corrupting barrels” model identifies ineffective error approaches, outcome inequality and dysfunctional moral climates as contextual root causes in team dynamics. The model uses current insights from empirical research in psychology to do so. Practical implications This paper specifies practical guidelines that help prevent future misconduct among traders. Originality/value Addressing the contextual root causes of misconduct at the team level will help banks and financial supervisors to improve their effectiveness in preventing misconduct. In the context of standard “bad apples” approaches, the “corrupting barrels” model offers an original perspective.

Humility: Empirical Psychological Research in Dialogue with Practical Theology – Part II

Abstract This article reports on the current status and key findings of a growing body of empirical research on humility; argues for further interdisciplinary, collaborative research between empirical psychology and practical theology; and outlines several generative future research trajectories. Scientific studies of humility could be quite relevant to practical theology, particularly informing research on spiritual formation, intercultural competence, theological education, leadership development, and clinical care. At the same time, we argue for increased attention to theology and spirituality in psychological research on humility, particularly given the strong role of religious and spiritual traditions/communities in promoting humility as a virtue and recent feminist practical theological critiques of humility constructions. Engagement between social scientists and theologians enables sharper reflection upon the moral values implicit in the expanding body of empirical research on humility. Such collaborative, interdisciplinary work is essential in shaping research-based interventions in clinical and religious practice.

Increasing Literacy in Quantitative Methods: The Key to the Future of Canadian Psychology.

Quantitative methods (QM) dominate empirical research in psychology. Unfortunately most researchers in psychology receive inadequate training in QM. This creates a challenge for researchers who require advanced statistical methods to appropriately analyze their data. Many of the recent concerns about research quality, replicability, and reporting practices are directly tied to the problematic use of QM. As such, improving quantitative literacy in psychology is an important step towards eliminating these concerns. The current paper will include two main sections that discuss quantitative challenges and opportunities. The first section discusses training and resources for students and presents descriptive results on the number of quantitative courses required and available to graduate students in Canadian psychology departments. In the second section, we discuss ways of improving quantitative literacy for faculty, researchers, and clinicians. This includes a strong focus on the importance of collaboration. The paper concludes with practical recommendations for improving quantitative skills and literacy for students and researchers in Canada.

Apologies in a Legal Setting: Insights from Research into Injured Parties’ Experiences of Apologies after an Adverse Event

There is scholarly support for the use of apologies in the settlement of legal disputes and anecdotal evidence of their effectiveness in mediation and other dispute resolution processes. There is also a growing body of empirical psychological research regarding the use and effectiveness of apologies available to inform and guide the practice of lawyers, mediators and other professionals, and judicial officers when apologies arise in legal proceedings. This article critically reviews the research literature concerning the experience of apology recipients and offers a framework for understanding the circumstances in which an apology may contribute to the resolution of a legal dispute.

Heuristic decision-making about research participation in children with cystic fibrosis

RationaleTraditional perspectives on informed consent assume that when faced with decisions about whether to participate in research, individuals behave according to principles of classical rationality, taking into account all available information to weigh risks and benefits to come to a decision that is optimal for them. However, theoretical and empirical research in psychology suggests that people may not make decisions in this way. Less is known about decision-making processes as they pertain to participating in biomedical research, particularly when the participants are children. ObjectiveWe sought to better understand research decision processes especially in children who tend to participate extensively in research due to chronic illness. MethodsTo learn more about children’s decision-making in this context, we interviewed 19 young patients with cystic fibrosis (male n = 7; female n = 12) aged 8–18 years (M = 13 years) at a children’s hospital in Canada between April and August 2013. ResultsWe found that participants generally had a default approach to participation decisions, which they attributed to their parents’ attitudes to research, experiences of having grown up participating in research, trusting the researchers, and wanting to help. Most of our participants made the decision to participate in research based on a heuristic with a baseline to say “yes”, subject to change based on aspects of the research or particular preferences. In particular, concerns with the procedure, unwillingness to talk about cystic fibrosis, logistical challenges, and perceptions of risk all influenced the decision, as did the perceived importance or personal relevance of the research. ConclusionOur study illustrates that rather than conducting risk/benefit analyses, participants tended to adopt a heuristic-like approach, consistent with decision theories that view heuristic decision-making as ecologically rational.

In Support of Empirical Research in Individual Psychology

In Support of Empirical Research in Individual Psychology William L. Curlette and Roy M. Kern Notice of New Manuscript Submission and Review Procedure Before we discuss the contents of the current issue, we would like to call attention to the new system we have implemented for submitting, reviewing, and managing manuscripts for The Journal of Individual Psychology. The new online system is called Scholastica, and it will allow authors to track the progress of their manuscripts. We have also considered our reviewers in this upgrade, as the review process will also be easier and more streamlined. To upload a manuscript, visit https://submissions.scholasticahq.com/sites/journal-of-individual-psychology. If the Editorial Office receives manuscripts not submitted via Scholastica, we will notify the authors of the correct procedure. If you are unable to access the system, please email the Editorial Office at jip@gsu.edu. Editors’ Notes A common theme across all five articles in this issue is support for empirical research in Individual Psychology—either through a call for more empirical research in two articles or by applications of empirical methods in three articles. Of course, the contents of the articles encompass more than just the notion of empirical research and make contributions in their own ways. In most years, when we publish the Ansbacher Lecture, it is placed as the first article in the issue. Thus, this issue begins with Sperry’s Ansbacher Lecture delivered at the 2015 NASAP meeting in Philadelphia. Sperry begins his address by recounting some of his experiences with Heinz Ansbacher, [End Page 1] and then proceeds to fulfill a request for elaboration on his comments on Bitter’s 2006 Ansbacher Lecture. Bitter asked the following question: “Am I an Adlerian?” Sperry ties his multiple levels of being an Adlerian, which he presented in 2006, to the focus of his current Ansbacher Lecture on the need for accountability in therapy leading to an emphasis on more empirical research in Individual Psychology. Sperry proceeds to present the evidence-based treatment program at Florida Atlantic University, which could be called “Lifestyle-Focused Psychotherapy.” Another event at the 2015 NASAP meeting was an interview with Eva Dreikurs Ferguson conducted by Kern and Curlette between attended sessions. Among the areas she comments on in the interview are her experiences growing up, her training in experimental research, her insights on Ansbacher’s interpretation of Adler’s theory, her reemphasis that all goals are fictional due to private logic, and her thoughts on some needed directions for Adlerian Psychology which include experimental research. The next two articles extend the capability to measure lifestyle constructs with the BASIS-A Inventory through language translations for its use in more cultures. The first article by Chen, Huang, Tseng, Yang, Kern, and Stoltz is titled “Validity and Reliability of the Basic Adlerian Scales for Interpersonal Success–Adult Form in Taiwan.” Using a sample of 339 participants, they conducted a principal factors analysis and concluded that the five dimensions that underlie the five primary scales on the BASIS-A Inventory are essentially supported in the Taiwanese sample. To facilitate the use of the BASIS-A Inventory in Taiwan, they report the means and coefficient alpha reliabilities for a Taiwanese sample and compare them to a United States sample. Expanding the international use of Individual Psychology through the BASIS-A Inventory continues with the work of Mazahreh, Stoltz, Wolff, and Turnage-Butterbauh, as described in the article “Cultural Variables and Factor Analysis of BASIS-A Using a Jordanian Sample.” The English version of the BASIS-A Inventory was translated into Arabic and back translated for all items, and the translations were then discussed to obtain consensus on the meaning of the items. Based on a sample of 330 participants from Jordan, the Arabic version of the BASIS-A Inventory was subjected to a principal factors analysis. The authors state that “review of the rotated pattern and structure matrices showed appropriate loading(s) of the BSI (Belonging/Social Interest), TC (Taking Charge), and BC (Being Cautious) items on the original theorized factors with few exceptions.” They discuss the role that cultural differences, including the emphasis on the extended family in Arabic culture, may have played in...

Humility: Empirical Psychological Research in Dialogue with Practical Theology – Part I

Humility: Empirical Psychological Research in Dialogue with Practical Theology – Part I

Aportaciones de la Psicología Positiva aplicadas a la formación del profesorado

This paper presents the empirical and theoretical results of Positive Psychology, emphasizing its relation with Aristotelian moral theory. Empirical research in Positive Psychology contributes a certain theoretical model about well-being, close to the Aristotelian moral thesis that happiness and well-being consists in the exercise of virtues. The implications for education that be derived are important, especially in teacher’s training. If its results are correct, we need to pay major attention to virtues and character strengths, both in teaching practice and education policies.

The Relationship between Disparate Impact Case Law and Empirical Research in the Behavioral Sciences

Disparate impact litigation is unique, in part because outcomes often depend on statistical analysis from expert witnesses who are research psychologists. Accordingly, it is surprising that psychologists serving the court as expert witnesses in disparate impact (DI) cases often take one of two divergent roads, either focusing on case law, as Gutman et al. do in their helpful book, or on published peer-reviewed research in the behavioral sciences as Outtz does with similar effectiveness in his edited volume. Although there are prominent writers in both law and psychology who do address DI from an interdisciplinary perspective, knowledge transfer between experimental psychology and law is surprisingly meagre, even in exemplary texts such as Rutherglen and Donohue’s recent book Employment Discrimination; Law and Theory, (2012) which is comprehensive in virtually every other respect. This paper seeks to expand that important interdisciplinary exchange by examining the concordance — or lack thereof — between empirical findings in the behavioral sciences and important DI decisions. To compile an informative set of reliable empirical studies I followed (and adapted) conventional procedures for a meta-analysis by surveying empirical studies published in peer-reviewed journals, and by applying a filter to exclude studies where statistical significance, research methodology, or effect size fell below the standards articulated both in Rosenthal’s original work on meta-analysis and in the American Psychological Association’s article on standards for peer reviewed research. In the interests of enhancing the quality of expert reports and the legal decisions that rely upon them, this paper begins to build an interdisciplinary cross-reference linking DI case law and published empirical research in the behavioral sciences. I use two classic texts — Rosenthal and Rosnow’s Essentials of Behavioral Research: Methods and Data Analysis (2007), and Abelson’s Statistics as Principled Argument (1995) — to provide a theoretical foundation for evaluating empirical research so that this interdisciplinary effort can proceed judiciously. I cover two issues in depth: 1) Data Aggregation and the Omnibus Null Test; and 2) Multiple Regression and the Use of Covariates. I’ll close by briefly addressing causation — a pressing issue that deserves future consideration in a similar interdisciplinary analysis that bridges law and empirical research in experimental psychology.