Description
There is a long tradition of work in the sociology of science (and related fields) exploring the social context of scientific research. Much of this work has considered laboratory practice in natural science disciplines such as biochemistry and physics. In exploring similar issues in the behavioural and social sciences, researchers have focused on methods such as interviews, focus groups and surveys, but as yet there is limited work exploring how psychological experiments work in practice. There are three exceptions to this trend which provide pointers for a future programme of work exploring the practice of psychological experimentation. Ultimately, however, these studies are limited in the extent to which they enable us to draw conclusions about contemporary practices of psychological research. To address this gap, initial findings from a study employing the techniques of discursive and rhetorical psychology to explore an example of a psychological experiment are outlined. It is highlighted that the experimenter performs interactional emotional labour in ensuring that participants are able to maintain a positive identity in the face of difficulties with experimental tasks. The findings are discussed in relation to the open science agenda and as pointing the way to new ways to train novice researchers.| Period | 8 Oct 2025 |
|---|---|
| Held at | York St John University, United Kingdom |