How the Complexity of Psychological Processes Reframes the Issue of Reproducibility in Psychological Science

Area of Science:

• Psychological Science
• Complex Systems Theory

Background:

• Methodological rigor in psychological science has increased, but reproducibility remains a challenge.
• Current approaches often view psychological phenomena as decomposable, limiting understanding of complex causal relationships.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate that psychological phenomena are emergent patterns from nondecomposable, nonlinear complex processes.
• To argue for a shift towards understanding process causality in psychological science.
• To explore the utility of complex dynamical systems (CDSs) for addressing reproducibility.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of psychological phenomena as complex dynamical systems (CDSs).
• Discussion of nonlinear dynamics and idiosyncratic properties of psychological processes.
• Advocacy for formal modeling and computer simulation of psychological dynamics.

Main Results:

• Psychological phenomena exhibit nondecomposable and nonisolable features governed by idiosyncratic nonlinear dynamics.
• These inherent complexities challenge the standard reproducibility of statistical results in psychology.
• The complex dynamical systems (CDS) approach offers a framework to explain both reproducibility and nonreproducibility.

Conclusions:

• Reproducibility efforts must consider the inherent complexity and dynamics of psychological processes.
• A focus on process causality and formal modeling within the CDS paradigm is crucial.
• The CDS approach can reconcile seemingly contradictory findings regarding statistical reproducibility in psychological science.