I mostly work in autism research and there are already several positive (in my opinion) changes happening within the field. More researchers are now consulting autistic people (and their families and caregivers) about what areas of research are important and should be conducted. More researchers are now recognising that autism brings both strengths and difficulties and that research should, where possible, highlight these and not frame everything as a negative on the autistic person. More research is now collecting data on bigger and more diverse samples – e.g. including autistic people who also have learning disabilities, are non-speaking, have more complex support needs and who come from ethnic minority groups. I’m really glad that this is changing as it means that autism research will now better represent autistic people and their families.
I would love to see a more diverse work field in psychology, this would include people who identify themselves in many different ways. And for these people to feel welcome, comfortable, and supported within the field of Psychology 🙂
I’d love for more people to use methods which involve asking people about their thoughts, feelings, and attitudes. Rather than just using numbers, and measuring brain activity. We are more than just a bunch of connections!
I agree with what the others said. I think further increasing participatory research (aka involving participants in research ideas and design and) is very important. It is as if some psychologists sometimes forget that we work with real self-aware people.
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