Psychology Needs a Revolution: Humility, Measures, and AI in PsychCrunch

Experts argue that psychology needs revolutions in humility, measurement, and the use of AI, among other changes, to address replication, credibility, and relevance crises. The episode features manifestos from Madeleine Punnell, Margarita Piotu, Richard Wiseman, Jamie Cummins, Audrey Lindon, and other voices offering a roadmap for reform across theory, methods, and practice.

From humility in methods to a measures revolution, and from an AI-aware future to attention to heterogeneity, the discussion weaves together insights from researchers across the field and highlights the importance of pragmatic, inclusive reform.

Humility revolution in psychology

Madeleine Punnell begins with a diagnosis of the field's current crises—replication, credibility, methodology, and what she calls a generalizability crisis. Her central argument is that psychology needs a humility revolution. This means openly acknowledging the limits of what psychology can measure and know, and embracing the messy, hard-to-quantify aspects of human experience. She suggests that humility can pave the way for a kinder and more reflective scientific culture, where researchers articulate when a method or measure might not capture a phenomenon, and where qualitative and quantitative methods are traded off with mutual respect to illuminate different facets of reality.

"There are natural inherent limits to our methods and our measures" - Madeleine Punnell

A revolution in measurement

Next, Margarita Piotu shifts the focus to measurement itself. She reflects on how psychological measures proliferate without consistent alignment, how scores can misrepresent constructs, and how validation does not guarantee validity. The fragmentation of measures—where different instruments claim to assess the same thing but diverge in content—undermines cumulative knowledge and policy impact. Her remedy is a revolution in how we build and use measures, emphasizing co-design with those who complete them, ensuring alignment with lived experience, and prioritizing theoretical clarity over statistical impressiveness.

"Validation simply does not guarantee validity" - Margarita Piotu

The dullness crisis and how to spark curiosity

Richard Wiseman warns that psychology often fails to reflect the buzzing complexity of human experience. He argues for generating interesting, real-world, contextually rich hypotheses rather than relying solely on lab-based constructs. Wiseman advocates studying phenomena in natural settings, drawing inspiration from life experiences, and being open to serendipity—like insights arising from everyday observations or unlikely sources. The goal is to make psychology both methodologically rigorous and genuinely engaging to the public and scholars alike.

"Nurture the seemingly lost art of generating interesting hypotheses" - Richard Wiseman

AI revolution in psychology

Jamie Cummins pushes back on assuming the current AI wave is the revolution psychology needs. Generative large language models are increasingly used to summarize literature, generate code, and design studies, but he warns that unsystematic usage risks reproducing the replication and generalizability problems at speed. He calls for standardized, preregistered protocols for LLM-based studies, open documentation of prompts and model versions, and stress-testing across plausible analytic choices, including multiverse analyses. The emphasis is on careful evaluation, falsifiable predictions about when LLMs align with human processes, and cultivating a culture that prioritizes rigorous evidence over hype.

"Used thoughtfully, these models could genuinely expand what psychological science can do" - Jamie Cummins

Heterogeneity and translating effects across contexts

Audrey Lindon from the Open University argues that heterogeneity—variation in effects across individuals, settings, and interventions—must be central to theory and practice. She suggests researchers should anticipate effect variation, report potential moderators, and engage communities to ensure interventions are acceptable and adaptable to diverse contexts. This shift aims to prevent wasted resources and improve the external validity of psychological findings by embracing diverse contexts rather than assuming universality.

"We need to stand back from what we're doing and aim to build in consideration of heterogeneity" - Audrey Lindon

Pragmatism and activism in revolution

Marcus Mannafer provides a cautionary counterpoint, warning that revolutions can devour their own children. He calls for activism tempered with pragmatism, urging collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders and avoidance of infighting. His perspective emphasizes sustainable change that existing structures can realistically adopt, balancing aspirational goals with practical, long-term progress.

The episode also features rapid responses from the psychology community on LinkedIn, highlighting a taxonomy revolution, a cultural revolution, a public-identity revolution, a kindness revolution, accessibility, and stronger evidence generation as additional avenues for reform.

The discussion points to a shared future where humility, better measurement, thoughtful AI use, and attention to context and lived experience drive more credible, impactful psychology.