Psychometrics and statistics in psychology: Data modelling, not genuine measurement

Uher, J. (2025). Statistics is not measurement: The inbuilt semantics of psychometric scales and language-based models obscures crucial epistemic differences. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1534270. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1534270  [Download]  [Summary]

Uher, J., Arnulf, J. K., Barrett, P. T., Heene, M., Heine, J.-H., Martin, J., Mazur, L. B., McGann, M., Mislevy, R. J., Speelmann, C., Toomela, A. & Weber, R. (2025). Psychology’s questionable research fundamentals (QRFs): Key problems in quantitative psychology and psychological measurement beyond questionable research practices (QRPs). Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1553028. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1553028  [Download]  [Summary]

Uher, J., Arnulf, J. K., & Hanfstingl, B. (2025). Critical debates on quantitative Psychology and measurement: Revived and novel perspectives on fundamental problems. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1661765. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1661765  [Download]  [Summary]

Uher, J. (2021a). Psychometrics is not measurement: Unraveling a fundamental misconception in quantitative psychology and the complex network of its underlying fallacies [Target article]. Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, 41, 58-84.  https://doi.org/10.1037/teo0000176  [Download]  [Summary]

Uher, J. (2021b). Quantitative psychology under scrutiny: Measurement requires not result-dependent but traceable data generation. Personality and Individual Differences, 170, 110205.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.110205  [Download]  [Summary]
 

Rating scales and their Questionnable Research Fundamentals (QRFs)

Uher, J. (2025). Statistics is not measurement: The inbuilt semantics of psychometric scales and language-based models obscures crucial epistemic differences. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1534270. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1534270  [Download]  [Summary]

Uher, J. (2023a). What’s wrong with rating scales? Psychology’s replication and confidence crisis cannot be solved without transparency in data generation. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, e12740. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12740  [Download]  [Summary]

Uher, J. (2022b). Rating scales institutionalise a network of logical errors and conceptual problems in research practices: A rigorous analysis showing ways to tackle psychology’s crises. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1009893. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1009893  [Download]  [Summary]

Uher, J. (2018b). Quantitative data from rating scales: An epistemological and methodological enquiry. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 2599, 1-27.  https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02599  [Download]  [Summary]

Uher, J., & Visalberghi, E. (2016). Observations versus assessments of personality: A five-method multi-species study reveals numerous biases in ratings and methodological limitations of standardised assessments. Journal of Research in Personality, 61, 61-79.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2016.02.003  [Download]  [Supplemental Material]  [Summary]

Uher, J., Werner, C. S., & Gosselt, K. (2013). From observations of individual behaviour to social representations of personality: Developmental pathways, attribution biases, and limitations of questionnaire methods. Journal of Research in Personality, 47, 647–667.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2013.03.006  [Download]  [Summary]
   

Data generation and genuine measurement across the sciences: Basic principles

Uher, J. (2025). Statistics is not measurement: The inbuilt semantics of psychometric scales and language-based models obscures crucial epistemic differences. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1534270. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1534270  [Download]  [Summary]

Uher, J. (2022a). Functions of units, scales and quantitative data: Fundamental differences in numerical traceability between sciences. Quality & Quantity. International Journal of Methodology, 56, 2519-2548. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-021-01215-6  [Download]  [Summary]

Uher, J. (2021a). Psychometrics is not measurement: Unraveling a fundamental misconception in quantitative psychology and the complex network of its underlying fallacies [Target article]. Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, 41, 58-84.  https://doi.org/10.1037/teo0000176  [Download]  [Summary]

Uher, J. (2021d). Problematic research practices in psychology: Misconceptions about data collection entail serious fallacies in data analyses. Theory & Psychology, 31, 411-416.  https://doi.org/10.1177/09593543211014963  [Download]  [Summary]

Uher, J. (2020b). Measurement in metrology, psychology and social sciences: Data generation traceability and numerical traceability as basic methodological principles applicable across sciences. Quality & Quantity. International Journal of Methodology, 54, 975-1004.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-020-00970-2  [Download]  [Summary]

Uher, J. (2019). Data generation methods across the empirical sciences: Differences in the study phenomena's accessibility and the processes of data encoding. Quality & Quantity. International Journal of Methodology, 53, 221-246.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-018-0744-3  [Springer Nature SharedIt initiative]  [Download]  [Summary] 

Uher, J. (2018b). Quantitative data from rating scales: An epistemological and methodological enquiry. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 2599, 1-27.  https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02599  [Download]  [Summary]
 

Exploring the psyche: Ontology, epistemology and methodology

Uher, J. (2023b). What are constructs? Ontological nature, epistemological challenges, theoretical foundations and key sources of misunderstandings and confusions. Psychological Inquiry, 34, 280-290. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840X.2023.2274384  [Download]  [Summary]

Hanfstingl, B., Uher, J., Edelsbrunner, P. A., Dettweiler, U. & Gnambs, T. (2023). Editorial: From "modern" to "postmodern" psychology: Is there a way past? Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1091721. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1091721  [Download]

Uher, J. (2021c). Psychology’s status as a science: Peculiarities and intrinsic challenges. Moving beyond its current deadlock towards conceptual integration. Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, 55, 212-224.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-020-09545-0  [Download]  [Summary]

Uher, J. (2020a). Human uniqueness explored from the uniquely human perspective: Epistemological and methodological challenges. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 50, 20-24. https://doi.org/10.1111/jtsb.12232  [Download]  [Summary]

Uher, J. (2016b). Exploring the workings of the psyche: Metatheoretical and methodological foundation. In J. Valsiner, G. Marsico, N. Chaudhary, T. Sato, and V. Dazzani (Eds.). Psychology as the science of human being: the Yokohama Manifesto. Annals of Theoretical Psychology, Vol 13 (pp. 299-324). Cham, Springer International.  https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21094-0_18  [paper request]  [Summary]
 

Behaviour, psyche, language and society

Uher, J. (2016a). What is behaviour? And (when) is language behaviour? Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 46, 475-501.  https://doi.org/10.1111/jtsb.12104  [Download]  [Summary]

Uher, J. (2015a). Conceiving "personality": Psychologist’s challenges and basic fundamentals of the Transdisciplinary Philosophy-of-Science Paradigm for Research on Individuals. Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, 49, 398-458.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-014-9283-1  [Download]  [Summary] 

Uher, J. (2015d). Agency enabled by the psyche: Explorations using the Transdisciplinary Philosophy-of-Science Paradigm for Research on Individuals. In C. W. Gruber, M. G. Clark, S. H. Klempe & J. Valsiner (Eds.). Constraints of Agency: Explorations of theory in everyday life. Annals of Theoretical Psychology, Vol 12 (pp. 177-228). Cham, Springer International.  https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10130-9_13  [paper request]  [Summary]

Uher, J. (2013). Personality psychology: Lexical approaches, assessment methods, and trait concepts reveal only half of the story. Why it is time for a paradigm shift. Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, 47, 1-55.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-013-9230-6  [Download]  [Summary]
 

Basic definitions and concepts

Uher, J. (2018c). The Transdisciplinary Philosophy-of-Science Paradigm for Research on Individuals: Foundations for the science of personality and individual differences. In V. Zeigler-Hill & T. K. Shackelford (Eds). The SAGE handbook of personality and individual differences. Vol. 1. The science of personality and individual differences. Part 1: Theoretical perspectives on personality and individual differences (Chapter 4, pp. 84-109). London, UK: Sage. [Download]  [Summary]

Uher, J. (2017). Basic definitions in personality psychology: Challenges for conceptual integrations. European Journal of Personality, 31, 572-573.  https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2128  [Download]  [Summary]

Uher, J. (2015a). Conceiving "personality": Psychologists’ challenges and basic fundamentals of the Transdisciplinary Philosophy-of-Science Paradigm for Research on Individuals. Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, 49, 398-458.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-014-9283-1  [Download]  [Summary]

Uher, J. (2014). Fundamental challenges of contemporary "personality" research. Physics of Life Reviews, 11, 695-696.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plrev.2014.10.005  [Download]  [Summary]

Uher, J. (2013). Personality psychology: Lexical approaches, assessment methods, and trait concepts reveal only half of the story. Why it is time for a paradigm shift. Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, 47, 1-55.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-013-9230-6  [Download]  [Summary]
 

Methodologies for developing taxonomies of individual differences

Uher, J. (2018a). Taxonomic models of individual differences: A guide to transdisciplinary approaches. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 373 (1744).  https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2017-0171  [Download]  [Summary]

Uher, J., Tofimova, I., Sulis, W., Netter, P., Pessoa, L., Posner, M. I., Rothbart, M. K., Rusalov, V., Petersen, I. T., & Schmidt, L. A. (2018). Diversity in action: Exchange of perspectives and reflections on taxonomies of individual differences. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 373 (1744).  https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2017.0172  [Download]  [Summary]

Trofimova, I., Robbins, T.W., Sulis, W., Uher, J. (2018). Taxonomies of psychological individual differences: Biological perspectives on millennia-long challenges. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 373 (1744).  https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2017-0152  [Download]  [Summary]

Uher, J. (2015b). Developing "personality" taxonomies: Metatheoretical and methodological rationales underlying selection approaches, methods of data generation and reduction principles. Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, 49, 531-589.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-014-9280-4  [Download]  [Summary]

Uher, J. (2015c). Interpreting "personality" taxonomies: Why previous models cannot capture individual-specific experiencing, behaviour, functioning and development. Major taxonomic tasks still lay ahead. Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, 49, 600-655.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-014-9281-3  [Download]  [Summary]

Uher, J. (2013). Personality psychology: Lexical approaches, assessment methods, and trait concepts reveal only half of the story. Why it is time for a paradigm shift. Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, 47, 1-55.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-013-9230-6  [Download]  [Summary]