Episode 38: Nothing about us without us

In years gone by, the norm for psychological research was to design studies from the outside looking in. Acting as observers of particular populations, there was generally an expected separation between the researchers and the researched.

More recently, however, there's been a shift.

For decades, the rallying cry "Nothing about us without us" has been used to communicate the idea that no policy should come to pass without the full and direct participation of those it's set to affect. This important approach has made its way to psychological research, and as it gathers momentum, we're seeing more and more lived experiences and expert insights from studied populations enrich our scientific landscape.

In this episode, Emma Palmer-Cooper meets James Cusack (Chief Executive, Autistica) and Dr Amy Pearson to look at the benefit of involving studied populations in research design — specifically, in autism research.

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Episode Credits:

Hosted by Emma Palmer-Cooper.
Mixed and edited by Jeff Knowler.
Edited by Emma Barratt.

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Want to learn more?

See the value of consulting with studied communities in this article investigating differences between academic and community research priorities in Scotland.

Or take a look at The Psychologist's recent issue on Neurodiversity.

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