The ACES Guide for Researchers in Psychology: Fostering Researchers’ Informed Decision-Making about Theory Selection and Theoretical Integration

Abstract

Psychology is as diverse as it is divided: For many research questions asked, different and competing theories will often exist to answer them. Despite the value of diversity, this lack of theoretical common ground has resulted in major empirical fragmentation in psychological research (e.g., a “confetti factory” of empirical trivia), but also to a lack of attention within the research process itself to theory selection (i.e., which theory to use and why?) and theoretical integration (i.e., how can one “connect the dots”?). This article aims to offer practical guidance to researchers in psychology about how to make informed decisions on theory selection and theoretical integration. To this end, I outline the ACES ( Analyzing, Comparing, Evaluating, and Synthesizing) guide, which offers a process-oriented guide toward such informed decision-making. Through its four-step structure and each step’s engaging and critical lead questions, researchers actively engage in a dialog in which they systematically question and explore which theories to select (and why), and whether a synthesis of different theories is possible and appropriate. As such, the ACES guide offers a practical, theory-focused tool for researchers in psychology.