New Books in Philosophy Uljana Feest, "Operationism in Psychology: An Epistemology of Exploration" (U Chicago Press, 2025)
May 10, 2025
Uljana Feest, a philosophy professor at Leibniz University in Germany, delves into the fascinating world of operationalism in psychology. She discusses how this framework connects psychological concepts with experimental designs, shedding light on the complexities of defining psychological phenomena like memory. Feest also reflects on her academic journey, highlighting the challenges of operational definitions and the impact of folk psychology on scientific inquiry. The conversation touches on the replication crisis, advocating for enhanced methodologies in the field.
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Feest's Academic Journey
- Uljana Feest started out studying psychology but was fascinated by what psychology actually does, its methods and assumptions.
- This curiosity led her to philosophy and eventually a PhD on operationism in psychology, laying the foundation for her book.
Defining Object of Research
- An object of research in psychology is epistemically blurry, something believed to exist but not well understood.
- It differs from phenomena and is not necessarily a tangible object but often psychological processes or abilities.
Relationship Between Phenomena and Objects
- Psychological phenomena are irregularities or patterns observed, but an object of research is a cluster of such phenomena.
- Researchers use folk psychology concepts as lenses to identify and investigate these objects, making phenomena both evidence and explananda.