Lecture
In the methodology of scientific research, the object of cognition is understood to mean that toward which the researcher's cognitive activity is directed, that is, the process or phenomenon that gives rise to the problem situation and is designated for study, while the subject of cognition consists of the properties and relations of the object studied for a specific purpose.
One can study not only an empirical object (the quality of a product, the production cost of an item) but also a theoretical one (the operation of the law of value).
Empirical research objects are divided into natural, or physical, objects that exist in nature objectively, independently of our will and consciousness, and artificial ones, including technical objects, created by human will.
Depending on their degree of complexity, there are simple and complex research objects, the difference between which is determined by the number of elements and the type of connections between them.
Simple objects contain a small number of elements (for example, the wages of port workers belong to a simple research object, because it has a limited number of factors influencing it; the depreciation of vehicles, and so on).
Complex objects include those with an undefined structure, which must first be investigated and then described. They are studied by the "black box" method, which consists in seeking the interrelation between input influences and the object's response to them. Such an object, for example, could be market conditions, whose formation is influenced by both external and internal factors.
The correct identification of the object of research from the surrounding material world in accordance with the aims of the research determines the increase in the effectiveness of the research.
Every research object is surrounded by an environment with which it interacts. Therefore, the researcher's task consists in determining the factors influencing the research object, singling out the essential and non-essential ones among them, and concentrating efforts on the essential factors. The selection of essential factors by criteria is the aim of scientific research and determines the level of knowledge accumulated in this direction. If the level of knowledge about the influence of factors on the behavior of the object is insufficient, this may serve as grounds for assigning these factors to the essential group.
The selection of essential influences on the research object has great practical significance, since it affects the degree of reliability of the results obtained. If some essential influence is not taken into account, the conclusions obtained as a result of the research may be erroneous, incomplete, or incorrect.
Having determined the object of research, its subject, and the factors influencing the cause-and-effect results of the state of the object, one establishes its parameters, i.e., the completeness of the study of the object in accordance with the aims of the research. The results of the completed research depend to a large extent on the correctness of determining the research parameter and the classification of objects.
The most widespread are two methods of classifying research objects.
1. Classification of objects by the presence or absence of a feature. It consists in the fact that the set of objects is divided into two classes. One of them has a certain property, while the other does not have it. In turn, the second class can be subdivided into two even smaller classes, of which one has some property and the other does not, and so on.
2. Classification of objects by the modification of a feature. It consists in the fact that the members of the division represent such sets of items in each of which the feature common to all the sets manifests itself in a particular way, with one variation or another. For a better understanding of the objects under study, whatever the classification, it is necessary from the very outset to choose the basis of division.
A logically constructed classification must satisfy the following requirements:
it should be neither too narrow nor too broad;
it should be made on a single basis, which must not be an arbitrary concept but must relate to the essence of the whole being divided;
it should exclude the incompatibility of concepts (for example, an enterprise's performance indicators are poor, yet it is listed among the leaders).
The subject of scientific research — is a specific side, property, process, regularity, or relation of the object of research, which is directly studied within the framework of scientific work.
It is important to distinguish:
Example:
If the object of research is the higher education system, then the subject could be the influence of digital technologies on the quality of student learning.
Research subjects can be classified according to several criteria.
Thus, the subject of research specifies the object and determines exactly which aspect of the phenomenon under study needs to be investigated. Correctly determining the subject helps formulate the aim, tasks, hypothesis, and methods of scientific work.
Object of science — is the part of objective reality toward which the researcher's cognitive activity is directed. This can include natural phenomena, social processes, humans, technical systems, and other phenomena.
Subject of science — is the researcher or scientific community that carries out scientific cognition: poses questions, formulates hypotheses, chooses methods, and obtains scientific knowledge.
The object and subject of science are in close interrelation:
Interdependence is manifested in the fact that without the object there is no content of scientific cognition, and without the subject purposeful scientific research is impossible.
At the same time, it is important that the object of science does not depend on the wishes and conceptions of the researcher: objective reality exists independently of whether a person studies it or not. However, the choice of the specific object, the aspect of its study, the methods, and the interpretation of the results depend on the subject.
Schematically:
Subject of science → methods of cognition → object of science → scientific knowledge → subject of science
Thus, the object is the source of scientific cognition, while the subject — is the active side that organizes and carries out the process of studying it. Their interaction forms the basis of scientific activity.
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