Rhetoric in Psychological Science

This avenue of research involves a comprehensive exploration of the rhetoric. as well as reasoning and writing styles, common to psychological research discourse. More specifically, we have examined a cross-section of published reports of empirical psychological studies in order to identify common forms of rhetoric, expressions, tropes, and styles of reasoning used by psychological researchers to justify the theoretical frameworks and methods used within specific empirical studies, as well as the generalizability, importance, relevance, and applicability of the reported findings. We are interested, ultimately, in determining where and where not commonly employed rhetorical and other discourse tools and styles align with both logical and technical-methodological frameworks.

Relevant Publications:

Slaney, K. L., & Garcia, D. A. (2015). Constructing psychological objects: The rhetoric of constructs. Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, 35, 244-259. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/teo0000025

Slaney, K.L., Graham, M.E., Dhillon, R.S., & Hohn, R. (2024). Rhetoric of Psychological Measurement Theory and Practice. Manuscript submitted for publication. Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University.

Slaney, K. L. & Wu, C. A. (2021). Metaphors, Idioms, and Clichés: The rhetoric of objectivity in psychological science discourse. In B. Slife, S. Yanchar, & F. Richardson (Eds), Routledge International Handbook of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology (pp. 453-472). New York, NY: Routledge.