Replicate to Understand: Research Practices for Developing Scientific Reasoning in Psychology Students

Abstract

Objective
. The threefold purpose of this descriptive study was (a) to assess the role played by replication in
developing scientific reasoning skills in psychology undergraduate students, (b) to determine whether this
teaching strategy contributes to the improvement of comprehension regarding relations between theoretical
and methodological aspects involved in the development of short research projects over the course of a
term and (c) to determine the extent to which replication improves academic achievement with regard to
the content domains included as a part of a cognitive processes course.
Method
. Student participants were
90 undergraduates recruited from two academic programs in a public university in Colombia. They were
asked to carry out three short projects that provided them with hands-on experience of experimental cognitive
psychology, design and use of cognitive tasks, data interpretation, reading and writing research reports.
Results
.
They showed that replication contributed to improve students’ use of critical scientific reasoning skills such as
control of variables and analyses of evidence. Moreover, it was found that the relationship students established
between theory and method gradually changed as a consequence of their involvement in replication projects.
Furthermore replication was demonstrated to have an effect on students’ achievements.
Conclusion
. These
results are consistent with previous studies, especially with regard to the importance of the use of replication
as a teaching strategy in cognitive psychology courses. Discussion poses that replication may constitute an
encouraging context for students to appreciate the logic of research in experimental psychology.