What’s Behind the Research?

Richard N. Williams is founding Director of the Wheatley Institution. From 2001 through 2008, he served as an Associate Academic Vice President for Faculty and Professor in the department of Psychology at Brigham Young University. His specialty areas include the philosophical, theoretical and historical foundations of psychology, with concentration on issues related to human agency, as well the science of psychology and research methods and statistics. Williams has authored, co-authored, or edited numerous journal, articles, and books. He has been a visiting faculty member at Duquesne University and at Georgetown University. He holds an M.S. and Ph.D. from Purdue University in Psychological Science and is a summa cum laude graduate of Brigham Young University. Williams and his wife Camille have 5 children and 18 grandchildren. Click here to see a full professional curriculum vitae.

This volume encourages students to engage in critical thinking by exploring the main assumptions upon which behavioural science theories are based and offering some alternatives to these assumptions.

IntroductionHuman ImagesWays of KnowingDeterminismReductionismScience and Human BehaviorConclusion