Prediction and Explanation in a Postmodern World

Frontiers in Psychology

article

Joachim I. Krueger¹ 

[1] Department of Cognitive, Linguistic & Psychological Sciences, Brown University, United States

关键词: prediction;    explanation;    experimentation;    causal analysis;    postmodernism;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2020.597706

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

The experimental research paradigm lies at the core of empirical psychology. New data analytical and computational tools continually enrich its methodological arsenal, while the paradigm’s mission remains the testing of theoretical predictions and causal explanations. Predictions regarding experimental results necessarily point to the future. Once the data are collected, the causal inferences refer to a hypothesis now lying in the past. The experimental paradigm is not designed to permit strong inferences about particular incidents that occurred before predictions were made. In contrast, historical research and scholarship in other humanities focus on this backward direction of inference. The disconnect between forward-looking experimental psychology and backward-looking historical (i.e., narrative) psychology is a challenge in the postmodern era, which can be addressed. To illustrate this possibility, I discuss three historical case studies in light of theory and research in contemporary psychology.

【 授权许可】

CC BY