Published by Maastricht University Press as an open-access textbook
This book is freely available to download or read online, with an affordable print-on-demand edition for readers who prefer a physical copy.
Book details
Version
1.0.0
Publication date (online)
31-03-2026
Copyright and license
© 2026 The Authors – The content of this work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 International License.
Book Description
Why is psychological science different from other sciences? Psychology is the study of behaviour and mental processes. Unlike most other fields, psychologists use their own mental processes to examine those of others. This self-referential nature, “mind measuring mind,” brings unique challenges for psychological measurement and the interpretation of research results.
This book critically examines psychology as a science, exploring the empirical cycle and the teaching of methodology and statistics. In most academic psychology programmes, students are expected to participate as subjects in psychological studies. To support this, a series of PBL tutorials was developed to familiarise students with the empirical cycle and encourage discussion of validity, research methods, ethical standards, scientific communication, and potential threats to responsible, high-quality research. The materials in this book are based on those tutorials.
Key Features
- Covers the full empirical cycle in psychological science, guiding readers from observation and hypothesis formation to data collection, analysis, and interpretation
- Integrates philosophical questions about what counts as science with practical research methods in psychology
- Accessible to readers with a basic background in psychology, making core ideas about the discipline and its methods easy to follow
- Didactic structure rooted in PBL tutorials and teaching material, making the book suitable for psychology education and self-study
- Addresses key issues in psychological research, including measurement, validity, ethics, replication, and responsible scientific communication
- Open textbook funded by OpenUp from Npuls, freely available via Maastricht University Press
Target audiences and educational use
This open textbook is designed for first- and second-year BSc Psychology students at Maastricht University, particularly those navigating the renewed curriculum’s emphasis on ‘Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking’ (SICT).
It serves as a flexible guide for students following individual learning paths, including participation in faculty-led research experiments, reflection on the empirical cycle, and connecting practical experiences to theoretical concepts such as methodology, statistics, validity, ethics, and scientific communication.
Ideal for self-study, group PBL sessions, and research practicums, the book helps bridge hands-on research involvement with classroom discussions, supporting competency development in psychological research.
Publication details and metadata
| Title | Mind Measuring Mind |
|---|---|
| Subtitle | An introduction to psychological science and research, for discussions in a PBL context |
| Author | Garmt Dijksterhuis |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-0641-8067 |
| Affiliation | Maastricht University |
| ROR | 02jz4aj89 |
| Cover | Cartoon by © Arend van Dam, used with permission |
| Pages | |
| Version | 1.0.0 |
| DOI | 10.26481/mup.2605 – https://doi.org/10.26481/mup.2605 |
| Landing page | https://umlib.nl/mup.2605 |
| Online version | https://umlib.nl/mup.2605.git |
| License | CC BY – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Copyright | The Authors |
| Publisher | Maastricht University Press |
| Publication place | Maastricht |
| Published online | 31-03-2026 |
| ISBN Hardcover | |
| ISBN Softcover | |
| Language | English |
| Subject (BISAC code) |
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| Keywords |
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| Funding |
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How to cite
Please use the following citation, depending on your citation style:
APA
Dijksterhuis, G. B. (2026). Mind measuring mind. Maastricht University Press. https://doi.org/10.26481/mup.2605
Harvard
Dijksterhuis, G. B. (2026) Mind measuring mind. Maastricht University Press. https://doi.org/10.26481/mup.2605
MLA
Dijksterhuis, Garmt B. Mind measuring mind. Maastricht University Press, 2026. https://doi.org/10.26481/mup.2605.
Vancouver
Dijksterhuis GB. Mind measuring mind. Maastricht University Press; 2026. DOI: 10.26481/mup.2605.
Chicago
Dijksterhuis, Garmt B. Mind measuring mind. Maastricht University Press, 2026. https://doi.org/10.26481/mup.2605.
IEEE
G. B. Dijksterhuis, Mind measuring mind, Maastricht University Press, Maastricht, The Netherlands, 2026. doi: 10.26481/mup.2605.
Contact
Contact the authors
The authors would welcome hearing from readers about their ideas, feedback, or experiences with this book. Please feel free to contact them at garmt.dijksterhuis@maastrichtuniversitypress.nl.
Contact Maastricht University Press
For all inquiries and comments about the book publication, please contact us via mup@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Press and Media
For press inquiries and media requests, please contact mup@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
Author photos and additional information are available on request.
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