Scientific “Rules of Correspondence”
Empirical investigation is the foundation upon which science is built – but what of the many things which are not directly observable? For instance, people have denied the existence of atoms on this basis. Strict “rules of correspondence” between theoretical entities and observations have been developed to deal with this problem. So long as a rigid set of rules can connect a concept with observations the concept can be considered legitimate – in cases where such a connexion cannot be satisfactorily articulated the concept is discarded.
(see also: operational definition, science, scientific approach, pseudo-science, systematic evidence, evolution, anecdotal evidence, [conceptual) models, critical thinking, theory [scientific], falsifiability, testability)
Back to: Glossary A-C, Glossary D-H, Glossary I-P, Glossary Q-S, Glossary T-Z
Glossary of selected Judgement & Decision-making, Belief-related, and other Psychology terms A-Z »
» Return to belief, judgement, and clear thinking »
