Zoltan Dienes – författare

How can we objectively define categories of truth in scientific thinking? How can we reliably measure the results of research? In this ground-breaking text, Dienes undertakes a comprehensive historical analysis of the dominant schools of thought, key theories and influential thinkers that have progressed the foundational principles and characteristics that typify scientific research methodology today. This book delivers a masterfully simple, ‘though not simplistic’, introduction to the core arguments surrounding Popper, Kuhn and Lakatos, Fisher and Royall, Neyman and Pearson and Bayes. Subsequently, this book clarifies the prevalent misconceptions that surround such theoretical perspectives in psychology today, providing an especially accessible critique for student readers.  

This book launches an informative inquiry into the methods by which psychologists throughout history have arrived at the conclusions of research, equipping readers with the knowledge to accuratelydesign and evaluate their own research and gain confidence in critiquing results in psychology research. Particular attention is given to understanding methods of measuring the falsifiability of statements, probabilities and the differing views on statistical inference. An illuminating book for any undergraduate psychology student taking courses in critical thinking, research methods, BPS’s core area ‘conceptual and historical issues’ as well as those studying masters, phd’s and experienced researchers. 

There is considerable debate over the extent to which cognitive tasks can be learned non-consciously or implicitly. In recent years a large number of studies have demonstrated a discrepancy between explicit knowledge and measured performance. This book presents an overview of these studies and attempts to clarify apparently disparate results by placing them in a coherent theoretical framework. It draws on evidence from neuropsychological and computational modelling studies as well as the many laboratory experiments.Chapter one sets out the background to the large number of recent studies on implicit learning. It discusses research on implicit memory, perception without awareness, and automaticity. It attempts to set the implicit - explicit distinction in the context of other relevant dichotomies in the literature. Chapter two presents an overview of research on the control of complex systems, from Broadbent (1977) through to the present day. It looks at the accessibility of control task knowledge, as well as whether there is any other evidence for a distinction between implicit and explicit modes of learning. Chapter three critically reviews studies claiming to show that people can acquire concepts without being verbally aware of the basis on which they are responding. It shows that concept formation can be implicit in some sense but not in others. Chapter four investigates the claim that people can learn sequential information in an implicit way. Chapter five looks at whether computational modelling can elucidate the nature of implicit learning. It examines the feasibility of different exemplar connectionist models in accounting for performance in concept learning, sequence learning, and control task experiments. Chapter six reviews evidence concerning dissociations between implicit and explicit knowledge in various neuropsychological syndromes. Finally, chapters seven and eight discuss the many practical and theoretical implications of the research.