Fundamentalism in psychological science - The Publication Manual as "Bible"

Drawing from social historical studies and critical feminist perspectives o n psychological method and report writing, I analyze the content of the fou rth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Associa tion (APA, 1994) as if it were a biblical text. focus on the correspondence between the espoused intention of sensitivity toward participants and the codes of investigative conduct made explicit and implicit in the manual. Sp ecifically, I examine definitions of research, research roles, ethical stan dards, writing style, and gender issues. I then discuss the manual's functi on as a fundamentalist bible in relation to psychologists' culture, includi ng socialization of psychology students and the production of research arti cles. I conclude with recommendations for investigative and compositional a lternatives.