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9. GENERAL METHODOLOGY
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9.1 Bias in quantifying judgment (Edwards, Poulton)
A person may be asked to make quantitative judgments on dimensions where he has no familiar arithmetic units that he can use. If so, his judgments are likely to be biased in a number of identifiable ways. The aim of the research is to note that these biases occur, to indicate their nature and estimate their size, and to propose methods for abolishing or minimising the biases (194; 199; 206). A book is being written on this topic.
9.2 Experimental Design (Poulton)
Poulton is concerned by the biases introduced by influential companion conditions included in a within-subjects design. One object of experimenting in the laboratory is to eliminate variables that bias the results in unknown ways. Using a within-subject design reintroduces some of these variables, all neatly balanced for subjects and order, but still capable of biasing the results due to asymmetric transfer (202 U; 203). Poulton plans to continue reviewing the effects of asymmetric transfer in within-subjects designs in different areas of experimental psychology in hopes of dissuading investigators from using such designs, or at least to inform investigators of the risks of bias.
9.3 Neuropsychological theory and methodology (Shallice)
In the last ten years there have been considerable changes in neuropsychological theory. These have mainly resulted from the application of information-processing concepts and the use of an experimental version of case study methods. In two papers Shallice has assessed these changes. In one (211) the increasing integration of neuropsychological theory with cognitive psychology is reviewed. In the other (210) the value of the neuropsychological case study approach for determining the functional architecture of cognition is defended against a number of different types of criticism.