Why Science Matters

Robert W. Proctor is Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychological Science at Purdue University at West Lafayette. He has been teaching and conducting research in the field of attention and human performance for nearly 30 years. His publications include Attention: Theory and Practice (with Addie Johnson, 2003) and Skill Acquisition and Human Performance (with Addie Johnson, 1995). E. J. Capaldi is Distinguished Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychological Science at Purdue University. Dr. Capaldi is a leading researcher in the field of learning and memory. He is the co-author of numerous articles and contributor to books such as The Blackwell Handbook to Research Methods of Experimental Psychology.

• Preface for Instructors viiiPreface for Students xPart 1: Major Methodological Changes in Science from Antiquity to the Present 1Chapter 1: Understanding Science: The Armchair versus Practice 3Introduction 3Justification of methodological practices 4Precursors to contemporary science: an historical overview 8Research paradigms, programs, and traditions 14Naturalism: a brief introduction 16Remainder of book 18Chapter summary 19Chapter 2: Major Issues to Emerge in 20th Century Approaches to Science 20Introduction 20Logical positivism 21Operationism 26Popper’s falsificationism 27Kuhn’s psychologism and historicism 33Chapter summary 38Chapter 3: Methodology in the Postpositivist Era 39Introduction 39Naturalism in science 41Lakatos’s sophisticated falsificationism 43Laudan’s research traditions and normative naturalism 46Giere’s cognitive approach 49The rise of relativism 51Chapter summary 54Part 2: Naturalism and Modern Science 55Chapter 4: Theory Testing 57Introduction 57Scientific theory 58Types of theory 60Hypothesis testing 63Induction and deduction 70Abduction and theory construction 72Chapter summary 78Chapter 5: Inference to the Best Explanation 79Introduction 79Evaluating theories: a critical evaluation of criteria 81Resolution of ambiguity over time 83Natural selection 85Brain function and cognitive neuroscience 89Consilience 92Chapter summary 95Chapter 6: The New Means of Understanding Science 96Introduction 96Empirical methods for better understanding science, scientific practice, and scientists 97Chapter summary 118Part 3: Applying Naturalism to Contemporary Methodological Issues in Psychology 119Chapter 7: Postmodernism and the Rejection of the Conventional Conception of Science 121Introduction 121Underdetermination and incommensurability 122Postmodernism 126Our critique 137Chapter summary 141Chapter 8: Qualitative Research Methods 142Introduction 142Rationale for qualitative methods 145Varieties of qualitative methods 151Chapter summary 163Chapter 9: Critical Evaluation of Qualitative Inquiry’s Approach to Qualitative Methods 164Introduction 164Justification of qualitative methods 167Misunderstanding of positivism 170Specific positions of qualitative researchers 172Chapter summary 179Chapter 10: Internal and External Validity 180Introduction 180Applications of scientific psychology 183Scientific psychology opposes pseudoscience 187Chapter and book summary 191References 195Glossary of Terms 210Glossary of Names 217Author Index 221Subject Index 226

"This book is an excellent exposition of historical and contemporary issues in the philosophy of science, and is particularly useful for psychologists and other behavioral scientists. Its core ideas will be useful to students, practitioners, and researchers alike."--Craig A. Anderson, Iowa State University "This book provides a comprehensive, fascinating, and up-to date account of what underlies the process of science. While there are many books on the nature of science written by philosophers, sociologists, historians and psychologists, this is the first volume that provides a sweeping vista of all these different approaches. Proctor and Capaldi have written a book that is a must-have for anyone who wants to understand the enterprise that we call science."--Kevin Niall Dunbar, Dartmouth College"This is a sophisticated, important, readable, and timely treatment of both the philosophy of science and the science of psychology. It would be a valuable addition to any advanced seminar on research methods in the behavioral sciences."--David Klahr, Carnegie Mellon University