Category: Research Methods

Both academic research and evidence-based practice rely on information to reach conclusions and make decisions. For example, a practitioner might … Continue reading >Avoid Magical Thinking with Statistics

Like all human endeavors, science is flawed. There are biases, poor practices and downright fraud that undermine the integrity of … Continue reading >Open Science Is No Panacea

If you read the academic literature in the organizational sciences, you will see the phrase “informed by theory…” It is … Continue reading >Theory Is Misused in Organizational Science

The incorporation of statistical control variables into our analyses has been common practice in many social science fields including the … Continue reading >Statistical Control Is Academic Rigor Theater

Modern research in the organizational and many other social sciences has become dominated by model testing. Models specify an order … Continue reading >The Weak Inference of Model Testing

In 1992 I wrote a “Little Green Sage Series” book Summated Rating Scale Construction as an accessible guide to creating … Continue reading >Single-Item Measures Are Better Than You Think

Of all the things I study, I am most passionate about research methods—doing research on how we do research. I … Continue reading >Research Methods Determine Scientific Inference

Scientists often repeat studies to determine if they can be replicated, that is, if the same results can be found … Continue reading >What Is a Meta-Analysis

When you break it down, science is about inference. Scientists collect information (data) in a systematic way and draw conclusions … Continue reading >Three Types of Scientific Inference

Last week I blogged about a new study concerning work and suicide. I posted about it on social media and … Continue reading >Did We Really Need a Study to Confirm the Obvious?

I do a lot of survey research. Many of the studies I do rely on people sharing their experiences. As … Continue reading >Choosing Assessments for a Questionnaire Study

I recently read this article by Nancy Doyle who writes about neurodiversity for Forbes. She notes how neurodiverse people can … Continue reading >Can Personality Destroy Test Validity?

In a recent editorial in science’s most prestigious outlet Science, its editor-in-chief Holden Thorp, made the point that we as … Continue reading >Exploration Is the Root of Great Science

In fields that use statistical analysis, such as business, education, health science and social science, it is common practice to … Continue reading >Mastering Control Variables

We have all heard the call to use analytics to support decision-making. That means practicing evidence-based management to base decisions … Continue reading >Three Forms of Analytics Evidence

Managers make decisions that involve people every day—who to hire, how to train, and how to lead, just to name … Continue reading >Using People Analytics

Big data has become the next big thing. In my field of industrial-organizational psychology and management there are articles about … Continue reading >Is It Really Big Data?