Much Pain, Little Gain? Paradigm-Specific Models and Methods in Experimental Psychology

作者：Meiser Thorsten^*

来源：Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2011, 6(2): 183-191.

DOI：10.1177/1745691611400241

• experimental psychology
• research paradigm
• illusory correlation
• spurious correlation
• pseudo-contingency

Paradigm-oriented research strategies in experimental psychology have strengths and limitations. On the one hand, experimental paradigms play a crucial epistemic and heuristic role in basic psychological research. On the other hand, empirical research is often limited to the observed effects in a certain paradigm, and theoretical models are frequently tied to the particular features of the given paradigm. A paradigm-driven research strategy therefore jeopardizes the pursuit of research questions and theoretical models that go beyond a specific paradigm. As one example of a more integrative approach, recent research on illusory and spurious correlations has attempted to overcome the limitations of paradigm-specific models in the context of biased contingency perception and social stereotyping. Last but not least, the use of statistical models for the analysis of elementary cognitive functions is a means toward a more integrative terminology and theoretical perspective across different experimental paradigms and research domains.

• 出版日期2011-3