Exploring Artificial Intelligence (AI) Adoptions in Psychology Research: Opportunities, Challenges and Strategies for Enhancing Effective Integration

This research explored the opportunities, challenges and strategies for effective AI integration in psychology research practice in Nigeria. The study employed an exploratory survey research design that is qualitative with interpretivist philosophy and inductivist approach. A semi-structured interviews was used for the collection of detailed data. A sample of 24 participants was drawn from the population of 346 academic researchers of psychology within the faculty of social sciences and education of the Nigerian universities. Face-to-face interviews were conducted to generate detailed firsthand information from participants. NVivo 12 Pro was used for data analysis. The findings revealed that the acquisition of new research techniques and possibilities in literature, real-time data collection and analyses using algorithms from ML and NLP technologies were opportunities gained from AI adoption in research practice. The findings indicated that a dearth of AI technical expertise, complexities in using models and interpretability skills among others were the challenges in AI adoption in research. The research further identified efficient data handling, choice of the right AI tool, monitoring and control process, data management efficiency, collaboration with AI experts and transparent application of the AI tools among others, suggested strategies for effective AI integration in research practice. The study concluded that embracing the AI adoption opportunities and seeking educational interventions can help mitigate the utilisation challenges to support their professional research innovation. It is recommended that psychology researchers should acquire the AI technologies knowledge and techniques to enable them overcome existing challenges while increasing the usage opportunities to enhance technological benefits in research practice.