The first Saratov professor of psychology A. A. Krogius: On the 150th anniversary of the scientist

The article is devoted to the 150th anniversary of the outstanding scientist of the XX century A. A. Krogius (1871–1933), who was at the origin of Russian experimental psychology and pedology in the early 1900s, the founder of Russian typhlopsychology. Krogius was a European-famous psychologist and worked for 12 years (1919–1931) at the Saratov University, becoming the first professor of psychology in Saratov. The article considers the features of the appearance of a successful petersburgian Krogius in provincial Saratov in 1919, presents the specifics of his work at the Saratov University, analyzes the discrepancies that appeared in the Saratov period of the scientist’s life between the principles of Soviet psychology that were being formed at that time and the methodology of Krogius’ research. Using the example of his fate and the biographical method, as well as the psychological analysis of documentary sources, newspaper articles, letters, diary entries, the author showed the peculiarities of development in the 1920s and 1930s both Russian and regional Saratov psychology, associated with the rejection of the previous scientific traditions formed in domestic psychology as part of European and world science, and the process of formation of a new Soviet psychology, sometimes associated with the destruction of the specific destinies of its participants.

Ludwig Binswanger’s Comments on Hermann Rorschach’s Psychodiagnostik

This article presents an introduction to Ludwig Binswanger’s Comments on Hermann Rorschach’s Psychodiagnostik, published in the International Journal of Psychoanalysis in 1923, after Rorschach’s death in 1922. Binswanger, one of the most distinguished psychiatrists of the twentieth century and a close professional colleague and compatriot in the Swiss Psychiatric and Psychoanalytic Societies, was blazing new trails by incorporating turn-of-the-century phenomenology and experimental psychology into Swiss psychiatry. His comments, which have been noted for over 100 years but never before translated, are a critical review of Rorschach’s monograph, highlighting the undeveloped status of the test theory and philosophical foundations. Binswanger’s comments illuminate philosophical, conceptual and scientific pathways not taken in the development of the test following Rorschach’s untimely demise.

Training in the Gap Between Conditioning and Learning

Biofeedback intervention draws from multiple attitudes toward healing: mind-body medicine, behavioral psychology, sport psychology, experimental psychology, contemplative practices, and so forth. The most prominent approach is behavioral psychology. Following this psychological orientation, we use biofeedback instrumentation as a conditioning methodology. On the other hand, drawing from experimental psychology, the same instrumentation is used to achieve awareness. Awareness does not necessarily precede change. This article aims first to outline the difference between conditioning and learning and then introduce a session format that promotes learning.

The Power of Poetry

From prehistory onward, poetic language has been widely used in the context of great personal, social, and emotional significance, reaching from large scale events, such as religious ceremonies, political occasions (including inaugurations of American presidents), and artistic contexts to more private gatherings, such as birthday parties, declarations of love, and parent–child interactions. Poetic language is capable of reaching deeply into the phylogenetically ancient structures of the human brain and providing profound aesthetic pleasures to its recipients. Yet a thorough scientific investigation of the workings of poetic language in the brain is only at its very beginnings. In the article under discussion, the authors review a study that focused on the emotional power of poetic language. In this project, they strived to integrate and interrelate perspectives from experimental psychology, neuroscience, rhetoric/poetics, psychophysiology, and philosophy. They argue that such a multidisciplinary approach is key to unraveling the mysteries of human aesthetic processing.

Principles of Model Specification in ANOVA Designs

ANOVA---the workhorse of experimental psychology--seems well understood in that behavioral sciences have agreed-upon contrasts and reporting conventions. Yet, we argue this consensus hides considerable flaws in common ANOVA procedures, and these flaws become especially salient in the within-subject and mixed-model cases. The main thesis is that these flaws are in model specification. The specifications underlying common use are deficient from a substantive perspective, that is, they do not match reality in behavioral experiments. The problem, in particular, is that specifications rely on coincidental rather than robust statements about reality. We provide specifications that avoid making arguments based on coincidences, and note these Bayes factor model comparisons among these specifications are already convenient in the BayesFactor package. Finally, we argue that model specification necessarily and critically reflects substantive concerns, and, consequently, is ultimately the responsibility of substantive researchers. Source code for this project is at github/PerceptionAndCognitionLab/stat_aov2

Is Replication Possible without Fidelity?

Failure of replication attempts in experimental psychology might extend beyond p-hacking, publication bias or hidden moderators; reductions in experimental power can be caused by violations of fidelity to a set of experimental protocols. In this paper, we run a series of simulations to systematically explore how manipulating fidelity influences effect size. We find statistical patterns that mimic those found in ManyLabs style replications and meta-analyses, suggesting that fidelity violations are present in many replication attempts in psychology. Scholars in intervention science, medicine, and education have developed methods of improving and measuring fidelity, and as replication becomes more mainstream in psychology, the field would benefit from adopting such approaches as well.