This book is a strenuous critique of the misinterpretation of statistical knowledge of
populations in mainstream psychology exploring the implications of assuming that those
statistics constitute scientific knowledge of individuals. It investigates the essential nature
and historical roots of this interpretive practice and documents the lack of change in
mainstream thinking despite previous critiques of the practice. The author contends that
prevailing interpretive traditions result in bad science in that invalid claims are made to
knowledge of individuals. He also discusses the socio-ethical problems resulting from this
misinterpretation of statistics where psychological practitioners unjustifiably endorse
interventions in the lives of individuals. Lamiell urges psychologists to abandon the aggregate
statistical methods which he argues have transformed the field into 'psycho-demography ' and to
embrace instead alternative research methods that are logically suited to gainingscientific
knowledge about the psychological functioning of individuals. This book concludes by
highlighting some of the currently available methodological alternatives as well as discussing
some enduring conceptual impediments to the serious consideration of those alternatives.
