Prediction and Explanation in a Postmodern World

Bibliographic Data

ID5849044
AuthorsJoachim I Krueger (0000-0001-9607-1695, Brown University, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume11
Publication date2020-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1664-1078 • E-ISSN: 1664-1078
PublisherFrontiers Media (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpsyg.2020.597706
PMID33335502
OpenAlexW3109966769
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited100

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

Causality · Empirical psychology · Experimental psychology · Paradigm shift · Psychological research · Academic and Historical Perspectives in Psychology · Psychology of Social Influence · Social Representations and Identity

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Open DOIOpen Access