Working In Uncertainty

Improving psychology and science generally

Psychology

Most people who know something about psychology are aware that it has problems. The best known are about positive publication bias, failure to replicate influential studies, and the pressure on academics to publish regardless of real value. My observations and suggestions for improvement are different, more important, and in addition to these well-known areas.

• Efficient psychology (a study of the artificial) (2021, groundbreaking theoretical and practical proposals)
• Badminton and the Lucky Choices Theory of Ability (2013, article)
• The Lucky Choices Theory of Ability (2010, something new in the nature-nurture debate)
• Optimism, pessimism, and open-minded realism (2010, article)
• The real reasons we avoid risk (2009, theoretical proposals)
• What circumstances are relevant to decision making under uncertainty? (2009, study results)
• Motivation and uncertainty (2007, detailed guide)
• What Jurassic Park tells us about uncertainty suppression (2004, article)
• Straight and crooked thinking about uncertainty (2002, article)

Science more generally

The major focus of philosophizing about science has been the reliability of its findings. The articles below add a focus on efficiency to this as well as introducing a perspective on what explanations are that solves some outstanding problems with philosophies of science and helps explain why some branches of science seem to be struggling.

• Guidelines for healthy scientific writing (2015, guide)
• Uncertainty and efficient science (2012, groundbreaking theoretical proposals and practical guidance)
• Barnes Wallis, the Dambuster (2011, case study)
• Albert Einstein's theory of special relativity (2011, case study)

Made in England