Integrative Themes in Focus

APA Theme A says that psychological science relies on empirical evidence and adapts as new data develop.

The Empirical Nature of Psychology

Psychology operates on empirical evidence, meaning evidence that is observable and measurable. Unlike casual claims such as “Recess benefits children,” psychologists adopt a scientific approach. They might design experiments, use questionnaires, or conduct observational studies to validate such a statement. For instance, the impact of recess on children could be analyzed by comparing classrooms that incorporate recess with those that don’t. A claim about recess is credible only after rigorous testing confirms it.

The Fluidity of Psychological Knowledge

Psychology is also open to evolution as fresh data emerge. Take the recess example again: if new studies indicate that more recess time negatively impacts grades or doesn’t affect student behavior, these findings become part of the broader discourse on the topic. Over time, a pile-up of such evidence may cause a paradigm shift in how psychologists perceive the role of recess in education. The end goal remains to understand human behavior in a way that allows for effective interventions.

In the case of social priming, initial studies suggested that exposure to certain stimuli might significantly influence people’s subsequent behavior. However, as more researchers attempted to replicate these studies (i.e., conduct them again with the same methods to see if they would get the same results), they found that the effects of priming were not as robust or consistent as the initial studies suggested. This new data led to a shift in our understanding of social priming, showing that while it might have some effect, it’s not as powerful or predictable as initially thought.

As another example, some of the earliest psychologists viewed intelligence (IQ) as something that was fixed and unchangeable, but we now know now that IQ is much more complicated. While a person’s IQ tends to remain more stable as they get older, IQ scores can be improved through things like education and training, particularly during adolescence and childhood.