Implicit theories of research methods in psychology

In all professions, people hold beliefs about effective performance. Many of these beliefs are explicit, and have been transmitted through formal training and development. However, a growing body of research addresses the existence and consequences of people’s implicit theories of work and work performance; that is, the unspoken assumptions and ‘commonsense beliefs’ that people hold about their work, but that they may not be aware of holding (or transmitting). We aim to apply the concept of implicit theories to the work of scientists. We believe implicit theories of good research practice may play an important, but unacknowledged role in research and research success. This project is currently in the early stages, where we use a qualitative approach (structured interviews) to uncover the structure and content of researchers' implicit theories. Future plans include more quantitative studies as well.

Researchers and partners

Behavioural and Social Sciences, Psychology

• dr. M (Maarten) Derksen, Theory and History of Psychology
• dr. E.F. (Eric) Rietzschel, Organizational Psychology

Results

Publications

• Derksen, M., & Rietzschel, E. F. (2013). Surveillance is not the answer, and replication is not a test: Comment on Kepes and McDaniel, 'How trustworthy is the scientific literature in I-O psychology?' Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 6, 295-298. doi: 10.1111/iops.12053

Successful grant proposals and other achievements

• Collaborative Research Project Grant, 2016