Indeterminateness in industrial and organisational psychological research: A root metaphor analysis

SA Journal of Industrial Psychology

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Indeterminateness in industrial and organisational psychological research: A root metaphor analysis
 
Creator Crous, Frederik (Freddie)
 
Subject — precision/imprecision; world hypothesis; cognitive pathway; root metaphor; formism; replication crisis; industrial and organisational (I/O) psychology
Description Problematisation: Efendic and Van Zyl (2019) attribute the so-called replication crisis in psychological research and industrial and organisational (I/O) psychological research in particular to a series of systemic issues. Be that as it may, their opinion does not consider the worldview/world hypothesis/world theory/paradigm with its distinct, underlying logic/cognitive pathway and root metaphor in which the replication crisis is embedded.Implications: By considering the worldview in which they operate, researchers and practitioners may come to understand the basis of the reproducibility and replicability challenge in psychological research. By ignoring it, those researchers and practitioners may become increasingly frustrated with their research efforts. By understanding it, they should appreciate and value Efendic and Van Zyl’s (2019) recommended strategies.Purpose: The purpose of this rebuttal in the form of an opinion paper is not to provide an opposing argument or dispute but rather to offer an extension to, or refinement of, these authors’ opinion. This effort is initiated by the following question: what is the problem of indeterminateness (suggested by the replication crisis), which is endemic to the dominant I/O psychological research paradigm? By going beyond the systemic issues identified by Efendic and Van Zyl, this problem is addressed on a worldview level.Recommendation: In view of the evidence provided, it is concluded that – contrary to belief – psychologists employ a formistic, rather than a mechanistic, root metaphor or logic. As imprecision is an inherent weakness of formism, psychologists who research and practise from this worldview have no choice but to adhere to the recommendations or strategies proposed by Efendic and Van Zyl. In doing so, however, they will not be able to completely do away with the problem of indeterminateness in I/O psychology, but these authors’ recommended strategies will provide them with the means for dealing with this weakness inherent in their research paradigm in a responsible manner.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor Department of Industrial Psychology and People Management, University of Johannesburg
Date 2019-12-12
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — —
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/sajip.v45i0.1756
 
Source SA Journal of Industrial Psychology; Vol 45 (2019); 5 pages 2071-0763 0258-5200
 
Language eng
 
Relation
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https://sajip.co.za/index.php/sajip/article/view/1756/2712 https://sajip.co.za/index.php/sajip/article/view/1756/2711 https://sajip.co.za/index.php/sajip/article/view/1756/2713 https://sajip.co.za/index.php/sajip/article/view/1756/2710 https://sajip.co.za/index.php/sajip/article/downloadSuppFile/1756/1824
 
Coverage — — —
Rights Copyright (c) 2019 Frederik (Freddie) Crous https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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