DOCSLIB.ORG

(1988). Under What Conditions Can Theoretical Psychology Survive And

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
(1988). Under What Conditions Can Theoretical Psychology Survive And hychotogiel Rsiw cqright reE8 by the Amqim ***,ffi9_'d;:SA{ffdJi"j 1988. Vol. 95, No. 4, 559-565 Under What Conditions Can Theoretical Psychology Survive and Prosper? Integrating the Rational and Empirical Epistemologies DonaldG. MacKay University of California, Los Angeles This article reexamines some important issues raised by Greenwald, Pratkanis, Leippe, and Baum- gardner (1986) conceming the nature oftheory and its role in research progress, practical applica- tions of psychological knowledge, strategies for develqing and evaluating theories, and relations between empirical and theoretical psychology. I argue that Greenwald et al.'s result+entered meth- ods will not solve problems such as confirmation bias and irreplicability and will aggravate other existing problems: lack of viable theory, fragmentation of the field, mechanical fact gathering, lim- ited applicability of psychological knowledge, and noncumulative develryment of facts, with need- less duplication ofresults and reinvention ofempirical constructs. I conclude that all ofthese prob- lems are best solved by establishing a balance between the "rational" and "empirical" epistemologies in psychology. We are currently witnessing an upsurge ofinterest in theoreti- approach ofthe rational epistemology is to develop theories that cal psychology (see e.g., Hyland, l98l), and detailed and funda- explain available facts, facilitate practical applications, and pre- mental theories are under construction, especially in cognitive dict new facts for future test. This "surface definition" ofap- psychology, currently one ofthe most advanced areas ofpsycho- proaches is deceptive, howeve4 because ofhidden differences in logical theorizing (Mandle6 1985; Royce, 1978). Royce (1984) how the two epistemologies interpret seemingly straightforward has complained, however, that in general, "psychological theo- conc€pts such as "practical application," "fact," and "theory." ries do not mesh well with the relevant data. Psychology's history in this regard reveals a pattern of extreme pendulum Facts Under the Two Epistemologies swings between observation and theory-that is, between the epistemology, facts are interesting in and empirical and rational epistemologies, with only the occasional Under the empirical whereas the epistemology, theo- investigator attempting to bring the two together." (pp. ix-xi). of themselves, under rational fact is: Findings are especially The rational and empirical epistemologies are complemen- ries determine how interesting a a well-established theory, or tary frameworks for the pursuit of scientific understanding with interesting when they fail to fit proposed most spectacularly, important implications for the future course of psychology. The when they fit a newly theory and often do not count as scientific facts present article shows how these frameworks apply to issues both. Indeed, observations plausible for explaining them is raised by Greenwald, Pratkanis, Leippe, and Baumgardner until a theoretical mechanism proposed. large refused to consider the (1986), henceforth GPL&B. My goal is not to criticize GPL&B For example, science at large body ofwell-known observations on selective breeding as but to point out some limitations ofthe largely empirical episte- proposed a plausible theory for ex- mology within which psychology and GP[&B have implicitly scientific fact until Darwin plaining these observations. Similarly, extrasensory perception been operating. currently falls outside the realm ofpsychological fact not neces- General Approaches of the Two Epistemologies sarily because researchers on psychic phenomena are "ego-in- The approach of the empirical epistemology is to develop a volved theory advocates" (as GPL&B suggest, p.222), but be- proposed body ofreliable facts and real world applications, whereas the cause no plausible theoretical mechanism has been for explaining the data that have been reported. The author thanks Robert Barnai, Dale Berger, Melissa Bowerman, Theory Under the Empirical Epistemology Colin Brown, Tyler Burge, Deborah Burke, Aaron Cohen, Andrew Comrey, Uli Frauenfelder, Mort Friedman, Alan Garnham, Joseph The empirical epistemology defines theories broadly and al- Gingerelli, Barbara Gutek, Peter Hagoort, Bruce Hayes, Herbert Heueq ways in relation to operations: In GPL&B (p. 217), theories Keith Holyoak, Peter Jordens, Ingrid Kummer, Pim Levelt, Leah Light, (conceptual statements) contrast with operations (specific pro- Douglas Mewhort, Antje Meyeq William Rosar, Chris Sinha, Bobbie cedures for fabricating or measuring events) but are related to Spellman, Fritz Tsao, Tom Wickens, and two anonymous rwiewers for qerations via an "abstractness" gradient; theories vary from helpful comments on an earlier draft of this article, which was written very abstract or removed from specific operations (e.g., "Re- while Donald G. MacKay was a research fellow at the Max Planck Insti- ward contingent on a respons€ increases the probability of a tute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. p. 2 I 7) to less theoretical (e.g., "Presentation offood Correspondence concerningthis article should be addressed to Don- response," ald G. MacKay, Department of Psychology, Univenity of California, to a pigeon after its depression of a key increases the rate of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90024. depression of the key," p. 217).The factthat the "highly theoret- 559 560 THEORETICAL NOTES ical" version of this key example is vague or inaccurate when ment" (begining "Belief change toward agreement with a belief- compared with the "less theoretical" version is curious (surely discrepant statement . ") is at best a not very highly evolved "probability per unit time" was meant, p.217), but may stem empirical generalization under the rational epistemology, a reg- from the empirical epistemology underlying GPL&B's ideas. ularity in the relation between empiricatly defined variables GPL&B's view of theory is @en to two criticisms. First, con- emerging from a large number of experiments. A more highly cepts and operations are virtually impossible to separate: Even evolved example is the law ofspeed-accuracy trade-off. Ratio- simple operations such as counting require conceptual classifr- nalist theories reduce a large number of such empirical general- cation. As Gaukroger (1978, p. 45) pointed out, "IfI am count- izations and their exceptions (see Hempel, 1966) to a small ing the number of things in a room, I must restrict myself to a number of conceptually simple theoretical constructs such as single system ofclassification. I cannot include a chair, wood, nodes (MacKay, 1982, 1987) and hidden units (McClelland, legs, molecules, and oblong shapes in the same total." Even Rummelhart, & the PDP Research Group, 1986). These con- GPL&B's first and repeatedly discussed example of confirma- structs begin with purely presumptive status and the interac- tion bias (the experimental findings of Bruner &Potter, 1964, tions between them (e.g., altered linkage strength) purport to where subjects guess at the nature of objects represented in describe how things (e.g., minds) universally and inevitably badly focused pictures) illustrates this inseparability of con- work for all time, space, and hypothetical or Gedanken exam- cepts and @erations. Here the "theory" in GPL&B's "theory- ples(Kuhn, 1977). predicted bias" (p. 2 I 6) refers to misleading verbal instructions Rules of correspondence map theoretical constructs onto provided by an experimenter as to what the blurred picture rep- empirical generalizations, but these rules are modifiable and resents. Because experimental instructions surely fall at the @- open to extension, enabling theoretical constructs to outlast ex- erational end of GPL&B's hypothesized continuum, the cutoff isting means ofobservation, and to suggest future observations, point for use ofthe term theory is atbest unclear. lines ofresearch, and practical applications that are currently An even stronger criticism is that GPI^&B used the term the- unimaginable. For example, by altering rules of correspon- ory so imprecisely as to present a real danger of throwing out dence and adding new ones, the theoretical term sound waye the baby with the bathwater. Ambiguities in use of the word has survived for 1,800 years, explaining thousands oforiginally theory are not new (see Underwood, 1957, pp. 175-180), but unimagined observations ofan ever more direct and precise na- as GPL&B (p. 217) pointed out, we should choose our terms so ture (Holland, Holyoak, Nisbett, & Thagard, 1986). The "loose as to minimize confusion wherever possible. The remainder of and variable" nature ofcorrespondence rules (GPL&B ,p.227) the present article therefore adopts the more specific terms em- means that full operational definitions for a theoretical con- pirical generalization, hypothesis, unique observation, guiding struct are impossible: Unlike empirical terms of the sort illus- idea, opinion, theory and theoretical terms, followed in paren- trated in GPL&B, theoretical terms cannot be completely and theses with the relevant page number for GPL&B's use of the explicitly defined (see Hempel, 1970, pp. 205-206). This viola- lerm theory. For example, when GPL&B claim on page 2 26 that tion of operationalism is undesirable under the empirical epis- theory testing should "often be displaced from its status as a temology but essential to scientifrc progress under the rational central goal of research," they clearly mean the testing ofempir- epistemology. As Hempel
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Historical Thinking As a Tool for Theoretical Psychology on Objectivity Thomas Teo
    Part II Historical Approaches 9 Historical Thinking as a Tool for Theoretical Psychology On Objectivity Thomas Teo In this chapter, I discuss the relevance of historical thinking for theoretical and philosophical psychology. In particular, I am interested in how historical thought styles (Fleck 1979) can be used as tools for theoretical psychology. In the follow­ ing reconstructions, five approaches of historical thinking that contribute to an understanding of psychological problems are discussed: history of science, history of the present, history as reconstruction, history of the politics of difference, and historical psychology. I use the concept of objectivity as an example to demonstrate the relevance of these approaches to theoretical psychology. It should be mentioned that the relationship between the history of psychology, which may incorporate some of the above‐mentioned thought styles, and the theory of psychology, is a complicated one (Teo 2013). The term historical thinking encompasses more approaches than the subdiscipline of the history of psychology. I suggest that temporality and professional histories are not sufficient to theoretical thinking in psychology and that professional history, as important as it is, is only one element in the discussion of temporality. Rather, I recommend that theoretical psychologists should include various historical thought styles in their endeavors as they were developed by historians as well as philosophers, social scientists, and psychologists, many of whom have engaged in critical approaches to the problem. History of Science Histories of science are sometimes presented by trained historians, but also by scientists‐turned‐historians. In this thought style, history has primacy but there are often theoretical implications that have major consequences for various The Wiley Handbook of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology: Methods, Approaches, and New Directions for Social Sciences, First Edition.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 11: Behaviorism
    Chapter 11: Behaviorism Megan Davis, Nicole Pelley and Stephanie Quinlan Behaviorism (1892-1956) ● Psychology has been the study of the mind since the Greeks ○ The definition of the mind has been debated extensively ○ 20th century: Shift from what the mind was to what it did ■ Mind causes behavior ● New field of research ○ Psychology was redefined with help from animal psychology ○ People started believing humans evolved from animal forms ○ Had to rethink Descartes’ definition of the mind New Directions in Animal Psychology New Directions in Animal Psychology Animal psychology as Romanes begun it, used 2 methods: 1. Anecdotal Method → Collect data 2. Method of Inference → Interpret data Close examination in late 19th, early 20th century. Anecdote → Experiment From Anecdote to Experiment ● Experiment replaced anecdotes and informal, naturalistic experiments ● Aim of animal psychology - produce natural science and anecdote not the path to science ● Two important research programs: ○ Thorndike ○ Pavlov From Anecdote to Experiment Edward Lee Thorndike (1874-1949): ● Initially wanted to study children ● Not many readily available, took up animals ● Studied with William James ● Developed “connectionism” ○ Methodological and theoretical approach to animal learning ○ Formulation of an S-R psychology he called “connectionism” ○ Anecdotal method overestimated animal intelligence From Anecdote to Experiment Thorndike’s Puzzle Boxes ● Trap cat inside box ● Each box opened by cat in different way ● Rewarded with salmon for escaping ○ Ex. of instrumental
    [Show full text]
  • An Analysis of Existential Psychology Arthur Erwin Wolfgarth University of Nebraska at Omaha
    University of Nebraska at Omaha DigitalCommons@UNO Student Work 6-1961 An analysis of existential psychology Arthur Erwin Wolfgarth University of Nebraska at Omaha Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/studentwork Part of the Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Wolfgarth, Arthur Erwin, "An analysis of existential psychology" (1961). Student Work. 125. https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/studentwork/125 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UNO. It has been accepted for inclusion in Student Work by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UNO. For more information, please contact [email protected]. AN ANALYSIS OF EXISTENTIAL. PSYCHOLOGY by Arthur Erwin Wolfgarth A Thesis Presented to the Graduate Faoulty of the Department of Psychology University of Omaha In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts June 1961 UMI Number: EP72773 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dtsssrtslioni Publishing UMI EP72773 Published by ProQuest LLC (2015). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 PREFACE The purpose of this thesis is to trace the thread of existential psychological thought from its first system­ atic statements in Denmark through its expansion in Europe to its influence in contemporary thought in the United States, This study begins with S^ren Kierkegaard who cast existential expression into molds that have not broken to the present day.
    [Show full text]
  • Points of View in the Modern History of Psychology
    Points of View in the Modern History of Psychology Edited by Claude E. Buxton Department of Psychology Yale University New Haven, Connecticut 1985 ACADEMIC PRESS, INC. (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers) Orlando San Diego New York London Toronto Montreal Sydney Tokyo Passages from the following are reprinted by permission of the publishers: Newell, Α., Duncker on Thinking, in S. Koch & D. Leary (Eds.), A Century of Psychology as Science. Copyright 1985 by McGraw-Hill. Neisser, U., Cognitive Psychology. © 1967 by Prentice-Hall. COPYRIGHT © 1985 BY ACADEMIC PRESS, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PART OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE REPRODUCED OR TRANSMITTED IN ANY FORM OR BY ANY MEANS, ELECTRONIC OR MECHANICAL, INCLUDING PHOTOCOPY, RECORDING, OR ANY INFORMATION STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEM, WITHOUT PERMISSION IN WRITING FROM THE PUBLISHER. ACADEMIC PRESS, INC. Orlando, Florida 32887 United Kingdom Edition published by ACADEMIC PRESS INC. (LONDON) LTD. 24-28 Oval Road, London NW1 7DX LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING IN PUBLICATION DATA Main entry under title: Points of view in the modern history of psychology. Includes indexes. 1. Psychology— History. I. Buxton, Claude E. BF81.P57 1985 150\9 85-4010 ISBN 0-12-148510-2 (alk. paper) PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 85 86 87 88 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contributors Numbers in parentheses indicate the pages on which the authors' contributions begin. Mitchell G. Ash (295), Department of History, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242 William Bevan (259), John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Chicago, Illinois 60603 Arthur L. Blumenthal (19, 51), Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts at Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02125 Claude E.
    [Show full text]
  • Psychology Old and New
    University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons IRCS Technical Reports Series Institute for Research in Cognitive Science 1-1-2001 Psychology Old and New Gary Hatfield University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/ircs_reports Part of the Psychology Commons Hatfield, Gary, "Psychology Old and New" (2001). IRCS Technical Reports Series. 23. https://repository.upenn.edu/ircs_reports/23 University of Pennsylvania Institute for Research in Cognitive Science Technical Report No. IRCS-01-07. This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/ircs_reports/23 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Psychology Old and New Abstract Psychology as the study of mind was an established subject matter throughout the nineteenth century in Britain, Germany, France, and the United States, taught in colleges and universities and made the subject of books and treatises. During the period 1870-1914 this existing discipline of psychology was being transformed into a new, experimental science, especially in Germany and the United States. The increase in experimentation changed the body of psychological writing, although there remained considerable continuity in theoretical content and non-experimental methodology between the old and new psychologies. This paper follows the emergence of the new psychology out of the old in the national traditions of Britain (primarily England), Germany, and the United States, with some reference to French, Belgian, Austrian, and Italian thinkers. The final section considers some methodological and philosophical issues in these literatures. Disciplines Psychology Comments University of Pennsylvania Institute for Research in Cognitive Science Technical Report No. IRCS-01-07.
    [Show full text]
  • The Center for Advanced Study in Theoretical Psychology
    Recovery and Renewal: The Center for Advanced Study in Theoretical Psychology By: Cor Baerveldt, Evan Shillabeer, and Vickie Richard Culture in Action Lab, University of Alberta Summary The Center for Advanced Study in Theoretical Psychology was a world-renowned institute at the University of Alberta in the period 1965-1990, dedicated to conceptual analysis and integration in psychology and the training of new generations of ‘generalist’ psychologists. In the period of its active operation the Center brought together over 120 distinguished visiting scholars from a range of disciplinary backgrounds, including several Nobel laureates. Many of those visiting scholars remained in residence in order to engage in a series of so- called Seminars-in-the-Round that involved intense mutual exchange of ideas and no-holds barred verbal involvement. Recently recovered thought-to-be-lost audio and video recordings from this period offer a unique and multifaceted picture of a discipline that prides itself for its empirical approach, but seems to lose itself in narrow specialization and a lack of articulation of what constitutes the psychological. More than a thousand hours of reel-to-reel audio recordings, as well as a selection of U-matic video recordings have been recovered up till now. Our Culture in Action lab at the University of Alberta has started the process of digitizing those materials and will create a repository in order to make them available for the international academic community. Together with colleagues Dr. Leo Mos (former director of the Center) and Mike Dawson, we are actively seeking collaboration with scholars interested in the history and theory of the behavioural, social and human sciences, in the conceptual, epistemological and ontological basis of psychology and in the discursive processes that constitute science-in- action.
    [Show full text]
  • Cognition and Emotion: from Order to Disorder [Book Review]
    Downloaded by [New York University] at 13:13 12 August 2016 COGNITION AND EMOTION This fully updated edition of the highly praised Cognition and Emotion provides a comprehensive overview of contemporary research and traditional philosophical perspectives on both normal emotional experience and emotional disorders. Uniquely, this book integrates two areas which are often treated separately: the main theories of normal emotions and theories of emotional disorders (e.g. depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and phobias). It draws these strands together with a theoretical framework which can be applied to both normal and disordered emotions. The authors also provide a comprehensive review of the literature on cognition and emotion, including coverage of the historical background and philosophy of emotion, and research on the five basic emotions of fear, anger, sadness, disgust and happiness. Cognition and Emotion provides a novel approach with a range of implications for clinical practice. It will be essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate courses on emotion. Mick Power is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at the National University of Downloaded by [New York University] at 13:13 12 August 2016 Singapore. In the past he has worked at universities and hospitals in London, Edinburgh, Norway, Italy, China and New Zealand. He has worked for the Medical Research Council and for many years has been a Research Advisor with the World Health Organization. Tim Dalgleish is a Senior Research Scientist and practising clinical psychologist at the Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge. His main research interests include psychological reactions to trauma and cognition– emotion relations in the emotional disorders.
    [Show full text]
  • Theory & Psychology
    Theory & Psychology http://tap.sagepub.com Emotion, Meaning, and Appraisal Theory Michael McEachrane Theory Psychology 2009; 19; 33 DOI: 10.1177/0959354308101418 The online version of this article can be found at: http://tap.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/19/1/33 Published by: http://www.sagepublications.com Additional services and information for Theory & Psychology can be found at: Email Alerts: http://tap.sagepub.com/cgi/alerts Subscriptions: http://tap.sagepub.com/subscriptions Reprints: http://www.sagepub.com/journalsReprints.nav Permissions: http://www.sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav Citations http://tap.sagepub.com/cgi/content/refs/19/1/33 Downloaded from http://tap.sagepub.com at UNIV MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST on March 3, 2009 Emotion, Meaning, and Appraisal Theory Michael McEachrane UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS, AMHERST ABSTRACT. According to psychological emotion theories referred to as appraisal theory, emotions are caused by appraisals (evaluative judgments). Borrowing a term from Jan Smedslund, it is the contention of this article that psychological appraisal theory is “pseudoempirical” (i.e., misleadingly or incorrectly empiri- cal). In the article I outline what makes some scientific psychology “pseudoem- pirical,” distinguish my view on this from Jan Smedslund’s, and then go on to show why paying heed to the ordinary meanings of emotion terms is relevant to psychology, and how appraisal theory is methodologically off the mark by employing experiments, questionnaires, and the like, to investigate what follows from the ordinary meanings of words. The overarching argument of the article is that the scientific research program of appraisal theory is fundamentally mis- guided and that a more philosophical approach is needed to address the kinds of questions it seeks to answer.
    [Show full text]
  • 51 Annual Meeting Macewan University (Edmonton, AB
    Cheiron 2019 1 51st Annual Meeting MacEwan University (Edmonton, AB, CA) June 20‐23, 2019 Conference Program and Abstracts Cheiron 2019 2 Acknowledgments We would like to thank the following people for their much appreciated support and assistance in planning our annual meeting this year: Cheiron Executive Officers: David R. Robinson, Executive Officer David C. Devonis, Treasurer Michael Dawson, Communications Cheiron Review Committee Members: Rémy Amouroux; Nancy Digdon; Kim M. Hajek; Alan Tjeltveit; Phyllis Wentworth; Leila Zenderland. Cheiron Book Prize Committee Members: Daniela Barberis, Kate Harper, Fred Weizmann, and Leila Zenderland (Chair). Two most recent past program chairs: Robert Kugelmann & Jacy Young. Proposal Reviewers: Each conference proposal was vetted by at least two anonymous reviewers, who provided valuable comments and recommendations. Session Chairs: Katalin Dzinas; Christopher D. Green; Kim M. Hajek; Robert Kugelmann; Katharine Milar; David R. Robinson; Henderikus Stam; Alan Tjeltveit; Nadine Weidman; Leila Zenderland. Local Helpers: We are grateful to many people at MacEwan who supported this conference: Melike Schalomon & Rob Wiznura from FAS Dean’s Office; Susan Cooper, Kristine Monteiro & Jen Brunsch from Conference and Event Planning; Terri Suntjens, Krista Hanscomb & Ashley Albert‐Hunter from kihêw waciston Indigenous Centre; Cynthia Zutter, Lyndsey Drozak & Bryce Wicks from Research Office; Aimee Skye & Psychology Department; Diana Porter from Residence; Marija Vukusic from M‐Store; Jackie Paley from Communications; Provost Craig Monk; President Deb Saucier and Ray Baril on behalf of General Faculty Council; and student volunteers: Nour Al Adhban, Stephanie Belland, Leanne Buttery, Kennedy Garrett, Nick Hemmings, Mustafa Janoowalla, Hadla Omar, Geoff Rachor, Abby Riehl & Jessie Swanek. We very much appreciate the financial support we received from a SSHRC Exchange Grant and from Conference and Event Planning, who gave us an affiliate discount.
    [Show full text]
  • Philosophical Commitments, Empirical Evidence, and Theoretical Psychology
    TAP0010.1177/0959354314563324Theory & PsychologyAllen and Clough 563324research-article2014 View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by PhilPapers Article Theory & Psychology 2015, Vol. 25(1) 3 –24 Philosophical commitments, © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: empirical evidence, and sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0959354314563324 theoretical psychology tap.sagepub.com Pamela M. Allen Oregon State University Sharyn Clough Oregon State University Abstract The philosophical or theoretical commitments informing psychological research are sometimes characterized, even by theoretical psychologists themselves, as nonempirical, outside the bounds of methodological consideration, and/or nonrational. We argue that this characterization is incoherent. We illustrate our concern by analogy with problematic appeals to Kuhn’s work that have been influential in theoretical psychology. Following the contemporary pragmatist tradition, we argue that our philosophical/theoretical commitments are part of our larger webs of belief, and that for any of these beliefs to have meaning their content must be informed by our practical engagement with the world, i.e., they are based on empirical evidence, broadly construed. It is this empirical basis that allows us to recognize our commitments at all and rationally to assess and criticize them when necessary. We conclude by demonstrating a rational assessment of the philosophical/theoretical commitments underlying a recent study in the social psychology of religion. Keywords holism, Kuhn, philosophy of science, pragmatism, social psychology We focus critical attention on instances in the theoretical psychology literature where the philosophical or theoretical commitments accompanying psychological research are characterized as worldviews, as nonempirical, and/or nonrational, as existing outside the Corresponding author: Sharyn Clough, School of History, Philosophy, and Religion, Oregon State University, 322 Milam Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.
    [Show full text]
  • THE NEW BEHAVIORISM Mind, Mechanism and Society
    THE NEW BEHAVIORISM Mind, Mechanism and Society John Staddon CONTENTS Part 1: History Chapter 1: Early Behaviorism Chapter 2: Behaviorism and Learning Psychology Part 2: Radical Behaviorism Chapter 3: Radical Behaviorism, I: Method Chapter 4: Radical Behaviorism, II: Explanation Chapter 5: Skinner and Theory Chapter 6: Variation and Selection Chapter 7: Behavior-Evolution Parallels Chapter 8: Rationality Chapter 9: Truth, Science and Behaviorism Chapter 10: Free Will and Utopia Chapter 11: Values Chapter 12: Skinner and Mental Life Part 3: The New Behaviorism Chapter 13: Cognitivism and The New Behaviorism i Chapter 14: Internal States: The Logic of Historical Systems Chapter 15: Consciousness and Theoretical Behaviorism Postscript to Parts 1-3: Alchemy of the Mind Part 4: Behaviorism and Society Chapter 16: Law, Punishment and Behaviorism Chapter 17: The Health-Care Schedule Chapter 18: Reinforcement and ‘Socialized’ Medicine Chapter 19: Teaching ii Preface to the Second Edition This edition is almost completely rewritten. It is about 45% longer than the first. I cover two new social issues and also devote more space to the philosophy of cognitivism and the science behind theoretical behaviorism. B. F. Skinner figures less prominently in this edition than the last, but his work is a theme that still runs through many chapters – because his influence has been so great and his writings raise so many provocative issues that are identified with behavior- ism. But, as readers of the first edition detected, my position is far from Skinnerian. Many reviewers thought well of the first edition but, naturally, I want to attend to those who did not.
    [Show full text]
  • Wundt As an Activity/ Process Theorist an Event in the History of Psychological Thinking
    Chapter 7 WUNDT AS AN ACTIVITY/ PROCESS THEORIST AN EVENT IN THE HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGICAL THINKING Hans van Rappard INTRODUCTION The first time I met Kurt Danziger was at the 1981 conference of Cheiron in River Falls, Wisconsin. One day, I found myself walking next to Kurt on the way to the campus restaurant for lunch. I frantically introspected for a striking line to start a conversation and finally came up with “I admire your work on Wundt”. It worked. About 15 years later, Wundt played a different role. In a paper on the future of the history of psychology Danziger (1994) noted that over the past decade profes- sional historians had become increasingly salient in psychology. Until the 1980s the field had virtually been the exclusive domain of psychologists in the reflective phase of their life-cycles. Since a similar change from insider to outsider histo- rian had occurred in the natural sciences too, Danziger questioned the relation between the two historiographies. In a comment I argued that the picture of the insider/scientist-scholar painted by Danziger was fairly bleak and called for a touch of colour (Van Rappard, 1997). Setting out to add some, I referred to a couple of lines in Danziger’s paper where he observed that while Weber and Durkheim, and Smith and Ricardo are still studied by sociologists and economists, “Newtonian studies are not part of physics but belong to an altogether different discipline, the history of science” (Danziger, 1994, p. 472, emphasis added). These lines formed the Blickpunkt of my comment. Why mention sociologists and economists, I asked, 141 142 HANS VAN RAPPARD but not psychologists? Cannot it be easily observed that in our field classics like Wundt, James and Vygotsky frequently feature in the foundational, theoretical and/or critical studies that are still abundantly published in psychology? And I added that in such works, Wundt, James and Vygotsky (and many others) are not studied because of their purely historical interest but because of their paradig- matic views on the field.
    [Show full text]