TRENDS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE

This research began with an empirical study of historical trends of prominence of the major schools of psychological thought (Tracy, Robins, & Gosling, 2003), and more recently involved a study examining the practice of psychological science (e.g., methods, approaches) as conducted by social and personality researchers (Tracy, Robins, & Sherman, 2009; 2009; 2012). Complementing my interest in the science of psychology, I have also become interested in the psychology—or motivational underpinnings—of science, and scientific beliefs and attitudes. In a series of studies examining the psychological motivations that influence the understanding of scientific ideas, we found that existential anxieties promote belief in intelligent design theory and antagonism toward evolutionary theory (Tracy, Hart, & Martens, 2011).