Lecture
A conception of the classification of knowledge systems, theories of varying degrees of generality, and scientific hypotheses in terms of distinguishing levels that indicate the closeness or remoteness of the path to their empirical verification. Hypotheses act as the connecting link between the world of theories and the world of empirical data.
In accordance with the hypotheses put forward, researchers construct experimental models – EM – situations in which basic processes and phenomena are actualized and studied.
The world of psychological (empirical) reality is open to the person – as their subjective experience – and to the researcher, who reconstructs this reality in psychological concepts. Psychological concepts (constructs) are drawn from the world of theories.
In the world of theories there exist conceptions, principles of explanation, and psychological laws.
EMs are developed on the basis of theories and of inductive observations of phenomena and empirically identified regularities; that is, the EM lies at the intersection of the world of theories and psychological reality.
Holzkamp's scheme.
Created in order to «limit theorizing» – to demarcate hypotheses that cannot be tested experimentally.
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Theory-ladenness |
Genuine |
Non-genuine |
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Actual ladenness (after conducting the experiments)
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Considerable success of the experiments owing to the properties of the object under study |
Slight success due to insufficient means of operationalization or the influence of uncontrolled factors |
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Non-actual ladenness (without experiments)
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Fundamental unrealizability of the experiments, conditioned by the peculiar nature of statements about empirical dependencies |
Factual unrealizability of experiments that could in principle be conducted |
Lower-level theories presuppose the use of explanatory schemes in which the concepts are maximally laden with empirical content. For example, the concept of «communicative competence».
Middle-level theories do not directly correlate general (universal) statements about presumed psychological laws with the level of empirical data. They make it possible to put forward hypothetically conceivable consequences that are accessible to empirical verification and appear in the form of experimental hypotheses.
Middle-level theories incorporate hypothetical constructs that serve the function of explaining certain empirically established regularities.
Example: Lewin's theory (quasi-need, psychological field); Sperling's separation of the concepts of «span of perception» and «span of reproduction».
From upper-level theories it is impossible to directly derive empirically laden hypotheses subject to empirical verification. These theories usually constitute the methodological foundation for the development of particular psychological schools. The concepts used in them have the status of categories. The verification of such theories is carried out indirectly, through the development of middle-level theories. Example: activity theory.
K. Popper introduced the norms of the experimental paradigm.
Using the example of a court trial:
- In a court trial, a person is never asked to commit the crime anew;
- Evidence (direct and circumstantial) is examined;
- The verdict must correspond to the materials of the case.
Guilty/not guilty→evidence: present/absent→convicted/acquitted (erroneously/correctly) (four variants in total). A similar situation obtains in any experimental science. (see QUESTION 10)
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