**The Significance of Theory in Psychology: Expert Suggestions**
The dialogue sparked by Ekaterina Damer has ignited a multitude of recommendations from psychologists on Twitter, aimed at individuals eager to enhance their grasp of theory development and assessment in psychology. Here, we compile the most prominent recommendations along with their endorsers.
1. **Robert Cummins**: “How does it function?” vs. “What are the principles?” Two views on psychological explanation. [Recommended by Iris van Rooij]
2. **Ed Orehek**: Discusses “Theory Construction in Social Personality Psychology: Personal Experiences and Lessons Learned,” providing insights into practical approaches in the discipline.
3. **Djouria Ghilani**: Shared thoughts on theory featuring Gerd Gigerenzer’s perspectives in “Personal Reflections on Theory and Psychology” and “Selected Works of Barry N. Markovsky.”
4. **Meehl’s Contributions**: Meehl’s extensive scholarship, highlighted by Tal Yarkoni, renders essential perspectives on psychological theory:
– Theory-testing in psychology compared to physics.
– Evaluating and refining theories.
– The reasons behind research summaries often being hard to interpret.
5. **Burak Tunca**: Suggested “What Theory is Not” by Robert I. Sutton & Barry M. Staw, a critical inquiry into theory within organizational settings.
6. **Joshua Skewes**: Valerie Gray Hardcastle’s “How to construct a theory in cognitive science” offers a thorough guide for theory formulation in cognitive areas.
7. **Randy McCarthy**: Recommends exploring Chapter 1 of “Theory and explanation in social psychology” by Gawronski & Bodenhausen, which discusses essential concepts.
8. **Kimberly Quinn**: Suggested McGuire’s “Creative hypothesis generating in psychology,” an introduction to heuristic methods to stimulate hypothesis creation.
9. **Daniël Lakens**: Recommends Jaccard & Jacoby’s manual on “Theory Construction and Model-building Skills,” outlining essential skills for social researchers.
10. **Karl Fiedler**: Examines the iterative aspect of theory development in “Tools, toys, truisms, and theories.”
11. **Tom Stafford**: Promotes reading Roberts and Pashler’s commentary on theory validation, “How persuasive is a good fit?”
The following updates from 16 August 2018 broaden the discussion:
– **Richard Prather**: Provides insights from Simmering et al., addressing computational modeling in developmental science.
– **Brett Buttliere**: Illuminates the “Psychological Theory Discussion Group” on Facebook as a venue for collective engagement.
– **Eric Morris**: Highlights Wilson’s exploration of theoretical constructs within a behavioral context.
– **Michael P. Grosz**: Draws attention to Denny Borsboom’s “Theoretical Amnesia,” confronting memory in theory formulation.
– **Ivan Grahek**: Reviews Fiedler’s criteria for robust psychological science, underlining diagnosticity and theorization.
For further insights and suggestions, Iris van Rooij also points readers to associated discussions accessible via Twitter threads. This compilation emphasizes that navigating the theoretical crisis in psychology incorporates various viewpoints and a diverse array of ideas as the field advances.