Research Practices for a Robust Psychological Science of Adult Development and Aging

Abstract

The voices of these two Nobel laureates illustrate the fundamental tension faced by all scientists in seeking to understand Nature. We painstakingly observe how Nature manifests herself in the world (the observed “facts”), all the while guessing at what the larger principles at work might be (a “theory”). Theory in hand, our observations become more focused on that which our theory predicts (Kuhn, 1970). Of course, these processes are not temporally separate, but rather deeply interwoven. As the quotes from Medawar and McClintock suggest, there can be some degree of emotional engagement in both—the wonder and awe in observing the patterns (and lovely exceptions) that Nature reveals, as well the horse race excitement of the winning hypothesis. And therein lies the challenge of creating processes for a robust and replicable science.