Measurement in psychology : critical history of a methodological concept / Joel Michell.
(Publisher-supplied data) This book traces how such a seemingly immutable idea as measurement proved so debatable when it collided with the subject matter of psychology. This book addresses philosophical and social influences (such as scientism, practicalism, and Pythagoreanism) reshaping the concep...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Ebook |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge ; New York :
Cambridge University Press,
2005.
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| Series: | Ideas in context.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Cambridge Books on Core Table of contents |
| Summary: | (Publisher-supplied data) This book traces how such a seemingly immutable idea as measurement proved so debatable when it collided with the subject matter of psychology. This book addresses philosophical and social influences (such as scientism, practicalism, and Pythagoreanism) reshaping the concept of measurement and identifies a fundamental problem at the core of this reshaping: the issue of whether psychological attributes really are quantitative. The author argues that the idea of measurement now endorsed within psychology actually subverts attempts to establish a genuinely quantitative science, and he urges a new direction. This volume relates views on measurement by thinkers such as Hölder, Russell, Campbell, and Nagel to earlier views, like those of Euclid and Oresme. Within the history of psychology, it considers contributions by Fechner, Cattell, Thorndike, Stevens and Suppes, among others. It also contains a nontechnical exposition of conjoint measurement theory and recent foundational work by leading measurement theorist R. Duncan Luce. This thought-provoking book will be particularly valued by researchers in the fields of psychological history and philosophy of science. |
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| Physical Description: | 1 online resource (xvi, 246 pages). |
| Format: | Mode of access: World Wide Web. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 0511490046 9780511490040 051105033X 9780511050336 0511150423 9780511150425 |
| DOI: | 10.1017/CBO9780511490040 |