Averting the Next Credibility Crisis in Psychological Science: Within-Person Methods for Personalized Diagnostics and...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Methodology
• Personalized Interventions

Background:

• Personalization is a key trend in psychology, impacting fields like personalized learning and medicine.
• Traditional between-person methods may be inadequate for capturing individual variability.
• A theory-method gap exists, risking credibility and necessitating methodological advancements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To discuss the theory-method gap in psychology concerning within-person vs. between-person analyses.
• To review the advantages and limitations of current within-person methods.
• To explore how within-person methods can enhance personalized predictions and treatments.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and theoretical discussion of psychological research methods.
• Analysis of the gap between theories of within-person patterns and between-person research methods.
• Examination of existing within-person analytical techniques.

Main Results:

• A significant theory-method gap exists, where within-person phenomena are studied using between-person approaches.
• Within-person methods offer potential for more accurate individual descriptions and predictions.
• Available within-person methods have limitations but are rapidly developing.

Conclusions:

• Addressing the theory-method gap is crucial for maintaining credibility in psychological research.
• Within-person methods are essential for advancing personalized approaches in psychology.
• Further development and adoption of within-person analyses are needed for personalized learning and medicine.