Neuropsychological assessment methodology revisited: metatheoretical reflections.

Theory building in neuropsychology, similar to other disciplines, rests on metatheoretical assumptions of philosophical origin. Such assumptions regarding the relation of psychological and physiological variables influence research methodologies as well as assessment strategies in fields of application. Here, we revisit the classic procedure of Double Dissociation (DD) to illustrate the connection of metatheory and methodology.

Theoretical psychology: discursive transformations and continuity in Psychological Research/Psychologische Forschung.

Psychological Research (formerly Psychologische Forschung) has been published for a century which makes it a valuable subject matter for historical investigations. The journal's development bears traces of the progress in psychology. This development is of particular interest for the field of theoretical psychology which investigates the epistemological and methodological background.

The Problem of the Task. Pseudo-Interactivity as an Experimental Paradigm of Phenomenological Psychology.

Real-life problems are almost always socially complex, even when we are by ourselves. Psychological problem-solving research must therefore integrate complexity as a domain of investigation. However, the simulation of complex interactions represents a major challenge to designing experiments dealing with the nature of social interaction: Simulated social interaction, even when enacted by confederates, is not identical to the actual social interaction.

Is There a Problem in the Laboratory?

Problem-solving research in the field of psychology has been closely linked to laboratory investigations throughout its development. However, there is a questionable conceptual assumption underlying this commitment to the laboratory, namely the assumption that one can reduce all problem-solving behavior to a cognitive mechanism. Upon validating this assumption from a phenomenological standpoint, doubts about its foundations emerge.