Critical perspectives on theory and methodology in psychology
Ph.D. -course
- ECTS credits
- 2
- Teaching semesters
- Autumn, Spring
- Course code
- GHIG945
- Number of semesters
- 1
- Teaching language
- English
- Resources
- Schedule
Course description
Objectives and Content
General content
In this course, students will learn about critiques that have been levelled against theorizing and methodology in psychological science. The themes that are covered will include, but not necessarily be limited to, problems that arise from failures to properly engage in conceptual clarification, conflation of different levels of analysis (e.g., within vs. between persons), and inappropriate reification and essentialization of psychological concepts. Although examples from personality psychology, clinical psychology, and other branches of psychology will be used, the issues are broadly relevant to other fields within the social sciences as well. The students will be encouraged to apply these kinds of critical analyses within their own fields of research or to find or develop their own examples of relevant meta-theoretical and meta-methodological critiques.
Type of course
Perspective course at the Graduate School of Human Interaction and Growth
General learning objectives
Students should learn to engage in critical thinking with respect to theorizing and methodology within psychology or adjacent fields relevant to their own dissertation projects.
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge
After completion of the course, the candidate:
- Has knowledge of existing critiques that have been levelled against theorizing and research in psychology
- Has insights concerning the methodological implications of these critiques
Skills
After completion of the course, the candidate:
- Is able to explain and illustrate the relevance (or lack of relevance) of these kinds of critiques to their own fields of research
- Is able to articulate potential changes to existing practices or alternative approaches
- Is able to explain the importance of philosophical and theoretical analysis in research
General competence
After completion of the course, the candidate:
- Is able to engage in critical thinking with respect to theorizing and methodology in psychology or adjacent fields
- Is able to coherently argue for or against relevant practices
ECTS Credits
Level of Study
Semester of Instruction
Required Previous Knowledge
Recommended Previous Knowledge
Access to the Course
Primarily for PhD candidates. Others may apply to participate.
External PhD candidates may participate by contacting us via email.
Teaching Methods and Extent of Organized Teaching
Lectures and seminars/excercises.
Four days of teaching activities (5-6 hours each).
In Spring 2025 the course will be held Feburary10th,11th, 13th and 14th. The course will take place at Christies gate 12, room 005 on the 10th, 11th and 14th of Feburary, at at Årstadveien 17, room 3F9 Hardbakka on the 13th.
Compulsory Assignments and Attendance
Forms of Assessment
Grading Scale
Assessment Semester
Reading List
The literature will consist mainly of articles. The following list includes sample articles but is not complete or final.
Brick, C., Hood, B., Ekroll, V., & de-Wit, L. (2022). Illusory essences: A bias holding back theorizing in psychological science. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 17(2), 491-506. doi.org/10.1177/1745691621991838
Bringmann, L. F., Elmer, T., & Eronen, M. I. (2022). Back to basics: The importance of conceptual clarification in psychological science. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 31(4), 340-346. doi.org/10.1177/09637214221096485
Boag, S. (2015). Explanation in personality psychology: ¿Verbal magic¿ and the five-factor model. Philosophical Psychology, 24(2), 223-243. doi.org/10.1080/09515089.2010.548319
Dupré, J. (2006). Scientific classification. Theory, Culture, and Society, 23(2-3), 30-32. doi.org/10.1177/026327640602300201
Fiske, A. P. (2020). The lexical fallacy in emotion research: Mistaking vernacular words for psychological entities. Psychological Review, 127(1), 95¿113. doi.org/10.1037/rev0000174
Hacking, I. (1999). The social construction of what? Harvard University Press (chapters 1 and 4, pp. 1-35, 100-124)
Kukla, A. (1989). Nonempirical issues in psychology. American Psychologist, 44(5), 785¿794. doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.44.5.785
Lamiell, J. T. (2000). A periodic table of personality elements? The ¿Big Five¿ and trait ¿psychology¿ in critical perspective. Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, 20(1), 1-24. doi.org/10.1037/h0091211
Lundh, L-G. (2023). Person, population, mechanism. Three main branches of psychological science. Journal for Person-Oriented Research, 9(2), 75-92. doi.org/10.17505/jpor.2023.25814
Magnusson, D. (1992). Back to the phenomena: Theory, methods, and statistics in psychological research. European Journal of Personality, 6(1), 1-14. doi.org/10.1002/per.2410060102
Nilsson, A. (2024). Antidemocratic tendencies on the left, the right, and beyond: A critical review of the theory and measurement of left¿wing authoritarianism. Political Psychology. doi.org/10.1111/pops.12951
Smedslund, J. (1991). The pseudoempirical in psychology and the case for psychologic. Psychological Inquiry, 2(4), 325¿338. doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli0204_1
Stone, C. A. (2019). A defense and definition of construct validity in psychology. Philosophy of Science, 86(5), 1250-1261. doi.org/10.1086/705567
Uher (2021). Psychometrics is not measurement: Unraveling a fundamental misconception in quantitative psychology and the complex network of its underlying fallacies. Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, 41, 58-84. doi.org/10.1037/teo0000176