APS

2025 APS Annual Convention

<i>What Do You Mean, What Do I Mean? </i>Revisiting Specification Across Research Stages

Friday, May 23, 2025 · Washington, DC

Oral · Methodology

Despite increased research, severe psychological outcomes have not declined in past decades. This is often attributed to psychology’s lack of formalized, theory-driven research. However, some argue theory alone cannot enhance prediction when key aspects of the research process remain underspecified. This symposium explores phenomena-detection and construct validation as paths forward.

Chairs & Discussants

  • Frances HartChair
    Yale University
  • Jennifer TackettDiscussant
    Northwestern University

Presentations

  1. Psychofacts: From Surprising Effects to Robust PhenomenaNoah van Dongen, Jason Nak, Denny Borsboom
  2. Computationally-Assisted Qualitative Research: Applying Natural Language Processing for Death-Related Phenomena DetectionFrances Hart, Leily Behbehani, Sharina Hamm, Ruben Van Genugten, Shirley Wang
  3. Putting the ‘Experience’ Back in Experience Sampling: Capturing Subjective Experience of Loneliness in Early PsychosisGil Grunfeld, Daniel Fulford, Laura Bringmann
  4. What Are Suicidal Thinking Rating Scales Measuring?Leily Behbehani, Ruben Van Genugten, Frances Hart, Sharina Hamm, Shirley Wang