The Pandemic as a Portal: Reimagining Psychological Science as Truly Open and Inclusive

Abstract

Psychological science is at an inflection point: The COVID-19 pandemic has already begun to exacerbate inequalities that stem from our historically closed and exclusive culture. Meanwhile, reform efforts to change the future of our science are too narrow in focus to fully succeed. In this paper, we call on psychological scientists—focusing specifically on those who use quantitative methods in the United States as one context in which such a conversation can begin—to reimagine our discipline as fundamentally open and inclusive. First, we discuss who our discipline was designed to serve and how this history produced the inequitable reward and support systems we see today. Second, we highlight how current institutional responses to address worsening inequalities are inadequate, as well as how our disciplinary perspective may both help and hinder our ability to craft effective solutions. Third, we take a hard look in the mirror at the disconnect between what we ostensibly value as a field and what we actually practice. Fourth and finally, we lead readers through a roadmap for reimagining psychological science in whatever roles and spaces they occupy, from an informal discussion group in a department to a formal strategic planning retreat at a scientific society.

On Methods and Marshmallows: A Roadmap for Science That Is Openly Feminist and Radically Open

“…Finally, we are writing this commentary in Autumn 2020 through Spring 2021 while a pandemic unfolds, a contentious presidential election has rolled into a contentious political battle on state rights to regulate reproductive health and trans* people’s existence, societal outrage over the murders of African Americans at the hands of police grows, and several natural disasters wreak havoc (e.g., wildfires on the West Coast and Mountain West, historically active hurricane systems affecting the South and Southeast). As others have noted, this tumultuous era presents immense challenges but also opportunities to fundamentally revisit institutional structures—including scientific practices—that no longer serve their aims of creating a just, equitable, open, and inclusive society (Legerwood et al, 2021).…”

Navigating Open Science as Early Career Feminist Researchers

“…Given that open science is an emergent movement within psychological science and beyond, there is scope to reimagine and redefine its aims and goals in a way that represents the concerns discussed throughout this article (see also Ledgerwood et al, 2021, for As well as systemic change, there are some take-home messages that may be useful for fellow feminist ECRs, and indeed ECRs more generally, as they navigate the world of open science. For example, it is important to note that an all-ornothing approach to open science is not the only way to participate (Bowman & Keene, 2018;Klein et al, 2018).…”

“…This issue is exacerbated when academics enter motherhood (Hunter & Leahey, 2010; Viglione, 2020) and is also amplified by existing racial disparities of invisible labor (Roberson, 2020). More broadly, as Ledgerwood et al (2021) also note, invisible labor in open science also includes the care work involved in mentoring other academics and the often more intensive labor that goes into producing reproducible and replicable work (e.g., checking code and cleaning data) that may easily go unrecognized. This work is largely unrewarded and often falls to ECRs and other minoritized groups (e.g., Rideau, 2019).…”

“…Given that open science is an emergent movement within psychological science and beyond, there is scope to reimagine and redefine its aims and goals in a way that represents the concerns discussed throughout this article (see also Ledgerwood et al, 2021, for a recent reimagining of open science). Therefore, it is useful to consider what open science, particularly one that responds to the barriers and benefits to feminist ECRs, could look like.…”

Bridging the Gap between Spontaneous Behavior- and Stereotype-based Impressions

“…These concerns are not unique to the literature exploring social perception and judgment. Indeed, the field of psychological science finds itself in a time of uncertainty and change as we respond to critiques that challenge us to grow into a more open, reproducible, and inclusive endeavor (e.g., Arnett, 2008;Cheon, Melani, & Hong, 2020;Murphy et al, 2020;Roberts, Bareket-Shavit, Dollins, Goldie, & Mortenson, 2020;Syed & Kathawalla, 2020) and offer suggestions for how we can make progress on this front (Ledgerwood et al, 2021;Ledgerwood et al, 2020). Keeping these goals in mind, this section outlines how the convergence of these two research literatures can contribute new knowledge with an admittedly biased focus on race and ethnicity.…”