Psychological Science in the Wake of COVID-19: Social, Methodological, and Metascientific Considerations
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has extensively changed the state of psychological science from what research questions psychologists can ask to which methodologies psychologists can use to investigate them. In this article, we offer a perspective on how to optimize new research in the pandemic's wake. Because this pandemic is inherently a social phenomenon-an event that hinges on human-to-human contact-we focus on socially relevant subfields of psychology. We highlight specific psychological phenomena that have likely shifted as a result of the pandemic and discuss theoretical, methodological, and practical considerations of conducting research on these phenomena. After this discussion, we evaluate metascientific issues that have been amplified by the pandemic. We aim to demonstrate how theoretically grounded views on the COVID-19 pandemic can help make psychological science stronger-not weaker-in its wake.
DOI: 10.17615/fkjp-qz94
Authors: Haines, Elizabeth L., Spellman, Barbara A., Gaither, Sarah E., Rounds, James D., Rothgerber, Hank, Berkman, Elliot T., Hornsey, Matthew J., Ratner, Kaylin, Gilovich, Thomas, Huo, Yuen J., Mann, Traci, Urganci, Betul, Schaller, Mark, Eastwick, Paul W., Gangestad, Steven W., Davidai, Shai, Bosson, Jennifer K., Bastian, Brock, Murray, Damian R., Parkinson, Carolyn, Kachanoff, Frank J., Brannon, Tiffany N., Volz, Sarah, Zayas, Vivian, Strohminger, Nina, Gray, Kurt, Joel, Samantha, Vandello, Joseph A., Silver, Roxane Cohen, Rosenfeld, Daniel L., Leary, Mark R., Ledgerwood, Alison, Hodson, Gordon, Tomiyama, A. Janet, Haselton, Martie G., Pyszczynski, Tom, Pérez, Efrén O., Loughnan, Steve, MacInnis, Cara C., Chen, Serena, Crandall, Christian, Swim, Janet K., Haslam, Nick, Kraft-Todd, Gordon, Cameron, C. Daryl, Burrow, Anthony L., Cook, Jonathan E., Dhont, Kristof, Balcetis, Emily, Hogg, Michael A., Thoemmes, Felix, Lee, Randy T.
Institution: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Language: English
Topic: COVID-19 and Mental Health
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: John Templeton Foundation, Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering, Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences, Directorate for STEM Education, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
OpenAlex ID: W4414623002
FWCI:
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: