Resumen
Summary Scriven - Explanation in Social Sciences
- Grado
- Institución
Notes on Scriven's 'Explanation in Social Sciences'
[Mostrar más]Vista previa 1 fuera de 2 páginas
Vista previa 1 fuera de 2 páginas
Añadir al carrito
Añadir al carrito
Vendedor
Seguir
patrickfleming
Comentarios recibidos
Vista previa del contenido
Michael Scriven - A Possible Distinction between Traditional Scientific Disciplines and the Study ofHuman Behaviour
● In all sciences there exists a descriptive, nonexplanatory aspect
○ e.g. planets in astronomy, or size of national debt in economics
○ some sciences are particularly descriptive, some are not, but this dividing
line does not correspond to social/natural sciences
● It seems implausible to suggest that human behaviour is undetermined as opposed to the
natural sciences, which are determined
○ if we imagine any change in behaviour, we naturally expect to find
changes in value of other parameters
● Precise explanations are possible in some behavioural fields
○ e.g. in psychology, behaviour in the face of restraints/compulsions OR
choice given heavily weighted alternatives may be straightforward to predict
● Even the simplest phenomena in behavioural sciences are much more complex than in
physical sciences
○ more standing conditions must be specified to determine a functional
relationship - more variables
○ the useful concepts in observation statements etc include many from
physics and maths
○ many of the procedures for explaining behaviour are embedded in
everyday language as a result of long experience
● Practical problems of prediction are more likely to be insoluble in the behavioural
sciences
○ The problems faced by the student of behaviour are much more difficult
that those faced by the early physicists
■ some are already solved by common sense, so the rest
are naturally the more difficult
■ exact solutions in engineering, meteorology,
aerodynamics are very difficult because of the difficult of testing, and these
problems are much more complex in behaviour
■ there are many critical variables even in the simplest
interesting cases
○ It is extremely unlikely that any unificatory theory like that of gravity
can be discovered in psychology etc
■ even Freud mainly applies to abnormality and not at all
to perception and learning
○ Physicists and chemists are able to reduce objects to atoms, molecules
etc, but this is not possible in behavioural sciences
■ the human being is the fundamental experimental
element
● Mathematical economics is able to model based on rational, equally informed, equal
desires human beings, and these may be dominating factors, but it is unable to model the degree
and effect of deviance
○ science similarly models in idealised conditions, but its predictions can
be realised to an indefinitely high degree of approximation
● Two possible theses about the future of behavioural sciences
Los beneficios de comprar resúmenes en Stuvia estan en línea:
Garantiza la calidad de los comentarios
Compradores de Stuvia evaluaron más de 700.000 resúmenes. Así estas seguro que compras los mejores documentos!
Compra fácil y rápido
Puedes pagar rápidamente y en una vez con iDeal, tarjeta de crédito o con tu crédito de Stuvia. Sin tener que hacerte miembro.
Enfócate en lo más importante
Tus compañeros escriben los resúmenes. Por eso tienes la seguridad que tienes un resumen actual y confiable. Así llegas a la conclusión rapidamente!
Preguntas frecuentes
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
100% de satisfacción garantizada: ¿Cómo funciona?
Nuestra garantía de satisfacción le asegura que siempre encontrará un documento de estudio a tu medida. Tu rellenas un formulario y nuestro equipo de atención al cliente se encarga del resto.
Who am I buying this summary from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller patrickfleming. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy this summary for $4.65. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
45,681 summaries were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy summaries for 15 years now