Research Methods

WEIRD Research

WEIRD research

The vast majority of behavioural science research is conducted with participants that are from WEIRD societies - Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich and Democratic, despite these participants only representing 12% of the world's population. This therefore raises the issue of making generalisations on human behaviour across the discipline.

This article makes suggestions on how to change that: Henrich, Heine and Norenzayan (2010). The weirdest people in the worldLink opens in a new window

One page version of the above article published in Nature: Most people are not WEIRDLink opens in a new window

Video: The Hidden Biases in WEIRD Psychology ResearchLink opens in a new window

Racial inequality in psychological research

A review of social, cognitive and developmental psychological research over more than five decades have shown publications that highlight race have been rare, most journal editors are White, leading to even fewer race artciles being published, those that are published are written by White authors who recruit few non-White participants, leading to suggestions of systematic inequality in psychological research:

Roberts et al., (2020). Racial inequality in psychological research: Trends of the past and recommendations for the futureLink opens in a new window

Interview with Roberts about the above articleLink opens in a new window

Book chapter on a model on racial inequality, a review of quantitaive methods to address racial inequality and using multiple techniques in race research: Quantifying race: On methods for analyzing social inequality in Rethinking race and ethnicity in research methodsLink opens in a new window

Principles of conducting diverse research, including being mindful of race issues, a diverse research team and participants: Miller, Stern and Neville (2019). Forging diversity-science-informed guidelines for research on race and racism in psychological scienceLink opens in a new window

Book chapter on research validity and methodological design concers: Infusing diversity into research methods = good science in Cross-cultural psychology: Contemporary themes and perspectivesLink opens in a new window

An article with a Black academic from the University of Leicester on how a more inclusive curriculum will better reflect society today: Inclusive curriculum will ensure HE is fit for the 21st centuryLink opens in a new window

Cultural factors influence psychological problems, particularly how they present themselves, how they develop, and how they manifest: Rosmarin (2016). Diversity Science: New dawn in a golden ageLink opens in a new window

Video: Introduction to diversity scienceLink opens in a new window

Video: Diversity science: the impact of group processesLink opens in a new window

Video: Diversity science: the impact of individual processesLink opens in a new window

Ancient Egypt

The earliest examples that exist of the scientific method come from an ancient Egyptian medical textboox - the Edwin Smith papyrus (c. 1600 BCE). In it, there are examples of medical examination, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment, displaying similarities with what later became known as the empirical method.

Middendorp et al., (2010). The Edwin Smith papyrusLink opens in a new window

Hasan Ibn al-Haytham

Hasan Ibn al-Haytham, Latinised as Alhazen

Ibn al-Hathyam (c. 965 - c. 1040) was an Arab mathematician, astronomer and physicist, known as the "first true scientist".

Ibn al-Hathyam developed the experimental method in his work, the Book of OpticsLink opens in a new window (1020), in which he put forward hypotheses and stressed the importance of testing them using confirmable procedures. He described the materials he used, how they were set up, the measurements taken, and the results of his studies on how lights reflects from a surface to the human eye. He also encouraged others to replicate his studies to confirm his results.

"The duty of the man who investigates the writings of scientists, if learning the truth is his goal, is to make himself an enemy of all that he reads, and ... attack it from every side. He should also suspect himself as he performs his critical examination of it, so that he may avoid falling into either prejudice or leniency."

Nature article: Al-Khalili (2015). In Retrospect: Book of OpticsLink opens in a new window

Video: Ibn Al-Haytham: The First ScientistLink opens in a new window