Research in the psychological laboratory: Truth or triviality?

Author(s): Lindsay, A. J., Bushman, B. J.

Journal/Book: Curr Directions Psychol Sci. 1999; 8: 40 West 20Th Street, New York, NY 10011-4211, USA. Cambridge Univ Press. 3-9.

Abstract: This article examines the truism that studies from psychological laboratories are low in external validity. Past rational and empirical explorations of this truism found little support for it. A broader empirical approach was taken for the study reported here; correspondence between lab and field was compared across a broad range of domains, including aggression, helping, leadership style, social loafing, self-efficacy, depression, and memory, among others. Correspondence between lab- and field-based effect sizes of conceptually similar independent and dependent variables was considerable. In brief, the psychological laboratory has generally produced psychological truths, rather than trivialities. These same data suggest that a companion truism about field studies in psychology-that they are generally low on internal validity-is also false.

Note: Article Anderson CA, Iowa State Univ, Dept Psychol, W112 Lagomarcino Hall, Ames,IA 50011 USA

Keyword(s): external validity; metaanalysis; philosophy of science; META-ANALYSIS; METAANALYSIS; PERFORMANCE; BEHAVIOR; GENDER; INTEGRATION; PERCEPTIONS; AGGRESSION; LEADERSHIP; VIOLENCE

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