The Value of Experiments in Psychology

Abstract

This chapter presents some reasons for thinking that experiments may not be suitable in psychology. Four main reasons are described: The infinite number of possible interpretations of a finding depending on context; the pseudo-empirical nature of findings due to semantic relations; the irreversibility of processes due to learning; the limited usefulness of means and small probabilities in practice. It is concluded that the dominant randomized controlled trial methodology is useless for most practical purposes and that abstracting, generalizing, and simplifying fail to work in psychology. As an alternative it is suggested that psychologists cease to try to predict, and instead start from a position of not-knowing, proceed as bricoleurs, and try to understand.

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