Is Psychology Headed in the Right Direction?

Abstract

Is psychology headed in the right direction? In this essay, I share my views on the answer to this question. I begin by describing how recent advances in technology, heightened levels of interdisciplinary collaboration, a renewed emphasis on considering the broader implications of basic psychological research, and field-wide efforts to encourage optimal research practices have combined to tilt psychology's trajectory upward. I then offer three suggestions for how to maintain the field's upward slanting course: (a) collaborate more to build cumulative knowledge, (b) improve the way we communicate contextual factors in psychological research, and (c) examine the psychological effects of technology. I conclude by offering a single piece of advice for new researchers and a few closing comments.

When chatting about negative experiences helps—and when it hurts: Distinguishing adaptive versus maladaptive social support in computer-mediated communication.

“…Importantly, the present research provides insight into how effective social support can occur in nonface to face contexts—a rapidly increasing context in which people give and receive support (Kross, 2017; Morris, Schueller, & Picard, 2015; Park et al, 2016; Wright, 2016). To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine how people can guide others to adaptively make sense of their negative experience during online conversations.…”

“…Psychologists have long been interested in identifying the processes that distinguish adaptive versus maladaptive forms of selfreflection (e.g., Kross, Ayduk, & Mischel, 2005;Nolen-Hoeksema et al, 2008;Wilson & Gilbert, 2008). According to one line of work within this research tradition (see Kross & Ayduk, 2017 for a review), one mechanism that determines whether self-reflection leads people to feel better or worse is whether they focus on recounting the emotionally arousing features of their negative experience or reconstruing their experience by thinking about it in a broader context that promotes insight and closure (Kross & Ayduk, 2011, 2017Rude, Mazzetti, Pal, & Stauble, 2011;Schartau, Dalgleish, & Dunn, 2009). Specifically, whereas recounting has been consistently linked with negative outcomes such as increased negative emotional and physiological reactivity (Bushman, 2002;Glynn, Christenfeld, & Gerin, 2002;Kross & Ayduk, 2008), reconstruing has been consistently associated with more beneficial outcomes such as improved emotional and physiological reactivity and enhanced sense of closure (Ayduk & Kross, 2010;Gross, 1998;Gruber, Harvey, & Johnson, 2009;Rude et al, 2011;Schartau et al, 2009).…”

“…Despite the frequency with which people exchange social support with others via computer-mediated communication methods, no studies that we are aware of have examined whether certain ways of chatting with others via these technologies are more effective at facilitating emotion regulation than others. Addressing this issue is important, because prior research suggests that it is possible for people to reflect on negative experiences in different ways that have direct implications for how they think, feel and behave (e.g., Gross, 1998;Kross & Ayduk, 2011, 2017Nolen-Hoeksema, Wisco, & Lyubomirsky, 2008;Wilson & Gilbert, 2008). In the current research, we build on this work to examine the processes that facilitate adaptive social support via computermediated communication.…”

Social Media Elements, Ecologies, and Effects

“…The apparent obstacles, therefore, are in fact fast-tracking research to more replicable approaches. From challenging the definition of contexts to revealing the hidden moderators of social interaction, social media research will likely become more central to psychology with each new update (Kross 2017).…”

Valoración de las estudiantes emiratíes del uso de Blackboard como herramienta para la formación científica en Psicología

“…Los avances de la tecnología digital ayudan a fomentar las prácticas de investigación en la formación profesional (Kross, 2017) y, en consecuencia, el desarrollo de habilidades para investigar se asocia también con el desarrollo de destrezas en el uso de la tecnología digital (Schrader et al, 2011), promoviendo prácticas de investigación en la formación profesional e intensificando la esencia experiencial del aprendizaje.…”