Big data is becoming more prevalent in psychology and the behavioral sciences, and so are the methodological and statistical issues that arise from its use. Psychologists need to be equipped to deal with these. Big data can be generated in experimental studies where, for example, participants’ physiological and psychological responses are tracked over time or where human brain imaging is employed. Observational data from websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google is also of increasing interest to psychologists. These sometimes huge data sets, which are often too large for standard computers and can also contain multiple types of data, bring with them challenging questions about data quality and the generalizability of the results as well as which statistical tools are suitable for analyzing them. The contributions in this volume explore these challenges, looking at the potential of applying machine learning techniques to big data in psychology as well as the split/analyze/meta-analyze (SAM) approach, which allows big data to be split up into smaller datasets so they can be analyzed with conventional multivariate techniques on standard computers. The issues of replicability, prediction accuracy, and combining types of data are also investigated. The Zeitschrift für Psychologie, originally founded in 1890, is the oldest psychology journal in Europe and the second oldest in the world. One of the founding editors was Hermann Ebbinghaus. Since 2007, it is published in English and devoted to topical issues that provide state-of-the-art overviews of current research in psychology. The Zeitschrift für Psychologie publishes high-quality research from all branches of empirical psychology that is clearly of international interest and relevance, and does so in four topical issues per year. Each topical issue is carefully compiled by guest editors and generally features one broad Review Article accompanied by Original Articles from leading researchers as well as additional shorter contributions such as Research Spotlights (presenting details of individual studies or summaries of particularly interesting work in progress), Horizons (summarizing important recent or future meetings or outlining future directions of work), and Opinion pieces that provide a platform for both established and alternative views on aspects of the issue’s topic. The guest editors and the editorial team are assisted by an experienced international editorial board and external reviewers to ensure that the journal’s strict peer-review process is in keeping with its long and honorable tradition of publishing only the best of psychological science. The subjects being covered are determined by the editorial team after consultation within the scientific community, thus ensuring topicality. The Zeitschrift für Psychologie thus brings convenient, cutting-edge compilations of the best of modern psychological science, each covering an area of current interest.
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