Research Topics In Psychology Research Articles

On a theory of self-structure–Part 1: the nature of narcissism

The self and its structure have been one of the most interesting research topics in psychology and psychoanalysis, which are related to the following important philosophical and scientific questions: "Where did 'I' come from?" and "How am 'I' formed and developed?" The contribution of psychoanalysis to human understanding of itself is indisputable. I believe that, in theory, the core purpose of psychoanalysis is to help humans answer these two fundamental questions. First, "Where did 'I' come from?" That is, the dynamic source of personality and the development of personality, which is the relationship between time and personality. Second, "How am 'I' formed and developed?" This has to do with the structural space of personality. Only by effectively answering these two questions can psychoanalysis further help human beings understand: "Why is 'my' mind 'sick'?" In this article, first I will try to understand the historical context of psychoanalytic theoretical development on narcissism by sorting out the relevant theories of predecessors. Second, I will try to formulate a new definition for narcissism, which becomes a new angle to understand self-structure. Furthermore, combining this new definition of narcissism, I try to use some clinical and non-clinical materials to explore the rationality and compatibility of this new definition.

Mining Twitter to Detect Hotspots in Psychology

Abstract. For identifying psychological hotspot topics, a mere focus on bibliometric data suffers from a publication delay. To overcome this issue, we introduce Twitter mining of ongoing online communication among scientists for the detection of psychological research topics. Specifically, we collected the entire 69,963 tweets posted between August 2007 and July 2020 from 139 accounts of psychology professors, departments, and research institutes from the German-speaking countries, as well as sections of the German Psychological Society (DGPs). To examine whether Twitter topics are hotspots in terms of indicating future publication trends, 346,361 references in the PSYNDEX database were extracted. For determining the additional value of our approach in contrast to traditional conference analysis, we gathered all available conference programs of the DGPs and its sections since 2010 and compared dates of topic emergence. Results revealed 21 topics addressing societal issues (e.g., COVID-19), methodology (e.g., machine learning), scientific research (e.g., replication crisis), and different areas of psychological research. Ten topics indicated an increasing publication trend, particularly topics related to methodology or scientific transparency. Seven Twitter topics emerged earlier on Twitter than at conferences. A total of four topics could be expected neither by bibliometric forecasting nor conference contents: “methodological issues in meta-analyses”, “playfulness”, “preregistration”, and “mobile brain/body imaging”. Taken together, Twitter mining is a worthwhile endeavor for identifying psychological hotspot topics, especially regarding societal issues, novel research methods, and research transparency in psychology. In order to get the most comprehensive picture of research hotspots, Twitter mining is recommended in addition to bibliometric analyses of publication trends and monitoring of conference topics.

Perception of risk as a mediator between personality and perception of health: test of a model.

BackgroundThis research article addresses the relationships among personality, risk perception, and health perception. The personality construct has been one of the main topics of research in psychology throughout history and is understood as the set of traits or cognitive, affective and behavioral characteristics that an individual possesses. Important relationships have been found that show the impact of personality on people’s health as well as the impact of health conditions on the configuration of personality. This research investigates the perception of risk as a mediating trait between personality and perception of health.Materials and methodsTo achieve this, a cross-sectional study was conducted in which 398 Colombians from all regions of the country were evaluated. The NEO Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and Health Risk Perception Test (HRPT) tests were used.ResultsThe data were analyzed with multiple regression and path analysis. The findings using multiple regression show that neuroticism and the personal meaning of risk affect the perception of health; however, using path analysis, model fit with the proposed model was not achieved with no mediator effect of perception of risk.ConclusionIt is necessary to focus on relationships between neuroticism and perception of health in future research.

Experiences in Virtual Reality: a Window to Autobiographical Memory

VR-based paradigms could substantially increase the ecological validity of various psychological research topics as VR allows for submerging into real-life experiences under controlled laboratory conditions. In particular, in the field of mnemonic research, concerns have been raised that “laboratory memory” differs significantly from “real-life” autobiographical memory. Our study aimed to assess the immersive qualities of VR not only upon application but -more importantly- during the retrieval of the virtual experiences subsequent to a VR session. We presented participants with either a 360° VR or a 2D video of a motorcycle ride followed by an unannounced recognition memory task 48 h later. Increased retrieval success and delayed reaction times in the VR group indicate that immersive VR experiences become part of an extensive autobiographical associative network, whereas the conventional video experience remains an isolated episodic event.

Psychological research and chronic low back pain: A stand-still or breakthrough?

Some of the main psychological research topics concerning chronic low back pain (CLBP) are critically discussed. These topics include: 1. 1. research aimed at describing a specific low back pain personality profile, 2. 2. research into the predictability of therapy results on the basis of psychological assessment, and 3. 3. outcome research of psychologically-oriented treatment for CLBP. It is concluded that these topics provide little insight into the role of psychological factors in the development and maintenance of CLBP. Based on the few empirical studies available, some new and promising directions for future research are proposed, aimed at gaining a better insight into the CLBP syndrome itself. Discussed are: 1. 1. Risk factors in the transition from acute to chronic LBP, 2. 2. the deviant sensitivity to acute, experimental pain stimuli of CLBP patients, 3. 3. the relationship between CLBP behavior and psychophysiologic variables, 4. 4. determinants of CLBP behavior, with special attention to endurance, 5. 5. the deviant processing of proprioceptive stimuli, and 6. 6. the implementation for chronic pain of the unpredictability and uncontrollability paradigms. The emphasis in the presentation of these new topics is more on raising questions than on answering them.

Publication trends in human learning and memory: 1962-1982

The relative fates of human learning and memory as research topics in psychology were assessed by an analysis of titles published from 1962 to 1982. Publications were classified as “learning” or “memory” on the basis of titular descriptions provided by authors of the respective publications. Results indicated that, whereas researchers in 1962 were predominantly concerned with learning, rather than memory, a significant reversal occurred over the ensuing 10 years (p <.001). The subsequent 10 years, however, may be characterized as a period of stability.

Contributions of Curiosity and Relevance To Adult Learning Motivation

Berlyne (6) has proposed that epistemic curiosity, the desire to gain knowledge, can be evoked by "surprising information." This study investigated the relative associations of curiosity evoked by surprise and of perceived value of information to the desire to know more about psychological research topics. The sample consisted of 79 volunteers from both evening credit classes and non-credit continuing education classes ranging in age from 21 to 52. A significant positive correlation was observed between perceived value and desire for knowledge, but the positive relationship observed between surprise and desire for knowledge was not statistically significant. Comparison of results to similar research with adolescents suggested that the importance of curiosity as a motivation to learn may decline in adulthood. Results were, however, consistent with Berlyne's contention that curiosity adds to the motivation derived from perceived value of information. The importance of further research was stressed.