WELCOME!

1. WELCOME!

2. Critical Integrative Metatheory: New Methods to Evaluate Psychological Theories & Models for Review Steven E. Wallis, PhDswallis@ProjectFAST.org Director, Foundation for the Advancement of Social Theory Adjunct Faculty, Capella University Fellow, Institute for Social Innovation, Fielding Graduate University Editorial Board, Integral Review International Congress of Psychology 2012 July 22-27 – Cape Town, South Africa

3. We want psychology to be of greater benefit to humanity • Learning • Psychoanalysis • Motivation • Communication • Behaviorism • Cognition • Stress • Emotions

4. Emergence of Psychology • Psychology is NOT much appreciated by other sciences or the general public. For GOOD reasons! • We are not advancing as a science – there is no proof that psychology is better now than 50 years ago. • Why have we failed to improve?

5. One Path to Improving Psychology is the Process of Submission & Review Theory Creation Submission Review

6. Many Rigorous Standards for Evaluating Methods • Participant Characteristics • Sampling Procedures • Sampling size, power, precision • Measures and Covariates • Research Design • Recruitment Statistics • Data Analysis • Etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., Methods Review

7. Standards for Evaluating Theory? τίποτα NIKS NOTHING Theory Review NENIO EZER NADA NICHTS ничего هیچ KITU NIC RES ei mitään SEMMI

8. What is theory? • Model • Ethics • Policy • Mental model • Schema • Mind map • Assumptions • Lens • Map • Metaphor • Story • Diagram • Narrative • Set of axioms These are all names for a conceptual construct that may be useful for engaging the world.

9. Theory • A theory is a conceptual construct, a set of abstract causal relationships. • Empowers (to take effective action) • Restricts (limits our sense of “truth”) • Is developed by education, experience, and social construction Is (apparently) INNESCAPABLE (so it is apparently IMPORTANT)

10. Metaphorically… Metatheory is a theoretical “lens” that may be directed toward the investigation of theory.

11. Or, more formally… Metatheory is primarily the study of theory, including the development of overarching combinations of theory, as well as the development and application of theorems for analyses that reveal underlying assumptions about theory and theorizing.

12. Three Ways to Evaluate Theory • Creation • Critical Analysis • Categorization

13. Common Methods for Evaluating the Creation of Theory (and issues) • Voracious reading (what? How much?) • Be brave, Creative, etc… (how to measure?) • Research (empirical data – what is data?) • Synthesize existing theory (recursive problem) • Reflexivity (how to measure?) • Abstraction (How much is best?) • Grounded Theory (more structured approach) • Reflexive Dimensional Analysis (more structured approach)

14. Common Methods for Categorization of Theory • Historical • Geographical • Unit level / Middle Range / Grand • Style (Literary, Academic, Eristic, etc.) • Purpose (Analyzing, Explaining, Predicting) (ISSUE: Within a category, What Theories are Better?)

15. Common Methods for Critical Analysis of Theory • Plausibility • Parsimony • Correspondence to observed facts • Coherence to existing theory • Application • Propositional Analysis • Falsification (ISSUE: Rarely Done, Rarely Quantified)

16. CRITICAL Metatheory Reflects The Need For RIGOR • Better to have a specific metatheoretical lens • The results must be quantified If our lens of metatheory is cloudy, we won’t see the lens of theory with clarity

17. EXAMPLE: Propositional Analysis • Identify the logical propositions. • Diagram the causal relationships. • Integrate diagrams. • Identify and count the “Concatenated” aspects (two or more causal influences). • Count the total number of aspects (Complexity of the theory). • Calculate the Robustness (divide Concatenated aspects by total aspects).

18. Abstract Example Propositions within a Theory Carefully Integrated B A B A A C C C D E E D C C = 5 R = 0.20

19. Scientific Revolution Previous ResearchEvolution of Theory & Changes in Complexity Complex theories – some usefulness

20. Scientific Revolution Previous ResearchEvolution of Theory & Changes in Robustness Robust theories – Very Useful

21. 5. More learning to interact effectively with environment (more competence) Theory of motivation and competence (White, 1959) 1. More new stimulation 2. More cognition 3. More action 4. More effect on environment C = 6 6. More feelings of efficacy (motivation) R = 0.17

22. Theory of planned behavior (Perkins et al., 2007) 1. More expected value 2. More subjective norms 4. More Behavioral intentions 5. More behavior 3. More perceived behavioral control C = 5 R = 0.20

23. 7. More expected value 8. More subjective norms 2. More cognition (includes behavioral intentions 1. More new stimulation 3. More action (includes behavior) 4. More effect on environment 5. More learning to interact effectively with environment (more competence) (includes perceived behavioral control) 6. More feelings of efficacy (motivation) Combined Theories C = 8 R = 0.25

24. Comparing Psychological Theories MEASURABLE IMPROVEMENT

25. Approach Provides Editors and Reviewers With a Standard for Evaluating Theory • Propositional Analysis to determine Complexity and Robustness • Theories of higher Complexity are privileged • Theories of higher Robustness are privileged Theory Review

26. To Improve, We Must Push Theories of Psychology to Higher Levels of Complexity and Robustness

27. Without Rigorous Standards We Become Biased and Our Theories Become Simple Theory of motivation Change in Complexity 90 years of (de) evolution 150 years until it vanishes?!?

28. Without Rigorous Standards We Become Biased and Our Theories Become Weak Theory of motivation Change in Robustness 90 years of (weak) evolution 900 years to success?!?

29. To Conclude… • Empirical data is “theory laden” – we cannot understand data without understanding theory. • If we are make psychology more beneficial to humanity we must directly address theory. • If we are to have effective theory, that theory must be addressed in a rigorous scientific way (Critical Integrative Metatheory) • Those methods must be applied to review submissions to journals

30. Many Thanks! Steven E. Wallis, Ph.D. Director, Foundation for the Advancement of Social Theory http://projectfast.org Fellow, Institute for Social Innovation, Fielding Graduate University Adjunct Faculty, Capella University Editorial Board, Integral Review SWallis@ProjectFAST.org Fielding Graduate University is a 501 c (3) non-profit university of higher learning.