The Future of Psychology. The Grand Unified Theory of Behavior

The Future of Psychology

The Grand Unified Theory of Behavior

Forces Shaping the Field

National Politics and Research Funding

• Self-Interest versus Quality of Life

• 1950s – Behavioral sciences viewed as Communistic

• 1980s – Attempts to eliminate research funding for Psychology from government agencies

• Currently – Biological/Neuroscience funded better than Clinical/Social

Evolution of Science

• Lines between traditional disciplines are blurring

• Methods and instruments shared across disciplines

• Multidisciplinary research

• Movement towards becoming problem-centered

Developing Infrastructures

• Internationalizing of data sharing and collaborative research

• Increasing availability of large research databases

• Electronic publishing• Interactive textbooks• Classes without classrooms

Biology

• Behaviorism and Cognitive Psychology ignored biological substrates for years

• Linkage of external manipulations with internal biological changes

• Bodies, minds, and environments interact with each other– e.g., Psycho-neuro-

immunology

Evolution of Measurement

• The complexity of statistical procedures may have exceeded the ability of researchers to use them well

• Large bodies of research more difficult to understand

• Meta-Analysis revisited• Chaos Theory

Obstacles to Productivity

The Identity Problem

• Who are we?– Neuroscientists– Cognitive Scientists– Behavioral Scientists

• A diaspora to other departments; splitting of departments

Information Management

• Too much information; too many studies• Specialized sub-disciplines• Must determine the most important findings• Must determine how to disseminate the most

important findings• Integrate disparate results into more

comprehensive explanations of behavior

Access to New Tools

• Cost and availability of tech such as brain imaging machines

• Rising costs for animal research

• Large scale database management for audio and video

Training Approaches

• Greater inclusion of biology and genetics into graduate programs

• Training in information infrastructure

• Tech training in brain imaging, etc.

• Emphasis shifted to multidisciplinary training and research