Explizite Kausale Inferenz in der Persönlichkeitsforschung (ECIP)
Zusammenfassung der Projektergebnisse
The aim of the "Explicit Causal Inference in Personality Research" (ECIP) network was the transformation of personality research by moving beyond correlational findings and implicit causal inference that have traditionally dominated the field of personality psychology. Unfortunately, randomized experiments are often fraught with methodological, practical and ethical issues in personality research. Hence, the network explored alternative approaches. One promising alternative approach is to use natural experiments. Natural experiments are naturally occurring events that assign individuals, more or less randomly, to different conditions, allowing researchers to identify and estimate causal effects. We wrote a manuscript outlining the features, benefits, and guidelines for exploiting natural experiments to causal inference in psychological research. Beyond this methodological contribution, the network members also produced empirical and theoretical papers and three grant proposals. Aside from writing journal articles and grant proposals, the network prioritized the broader dissemination of knowledge about causal inference. The network successfully organized a symposium entitled “Causal Inference in Personality Psychology” at the meeting of the DPPD in Salzburg. Michael Grosz conducted three successful workshops on causal inference for early-career researchers. He also appeared on an episode of the Personality Psychology Podcast, which was exclusively dedicated to causal inference in personality psychology. Finally, we created a webpage to provide a central, publicly accessible repository for resources, updates, and contact information related to causal inference in personality psychology. The most significant challenge to the network was the prolonged and unpredictable impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The original plan was to have five in-person meetings for deeper collaboration, but the pandemic forced three of the planned meetings to be virtual. While the virtual meetings helped us to continue our work, they lacked the spontaneous, synergistic interactions that foster deeper personal and intellectual connections. Other unexpected challenges included personnel changes and attrition: Several valued network members transitioned out of academia or became parents during the project. Although these events disrupted the original plan, they offered valuable lessons for future collaborations, such as the benefit of starting with a slightly larger initial number of network members, proactive follow-up recruitments for continuity, and implementing a hybrid approach to meeting modalities from the outset.
Projektbezogene Publikationen (Auswahl)
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Embedding Research on Emotion Duration in a Network Model. Affective Science, 4(3), 541-549.
Lange, Jens
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The impact of the early stages of COVID-19 on mental health in the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom.. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 124(3), 620-639.
Müller, Sandrine R.; Delahunty, Fionn & Matz, Sandra C.
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Natural Experiments: Missed Opportunities for Causal Inference in Psychology. Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science, 7(1).
Grosz, Michael P.; Ayaita, Adam; Arslan, Ruben C.; Buecker, Susanne; Ebert, Tobias; Hünermund, Paul; Müller, Sandrine R.; Rieger, Sven; Zapko-Willmes, Alexandra & Rohrer, Julia M.
