Similarity in the Making: How Folk Psychological Concepts Facilitate Development of Psychological Concepts

Authors

Corinne L. Bloch-Mullins, Marquette UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-2022

Publisher

Springer

Source Publication

Synthese

Source ISSN

0039-7857

Original Item ID

DOI: 10.1007/s11229-022-03600-6

Abstract

This paper draws on the notion of “objects of research” in psychology as clusters of phenomena (Feest in Philos Sci 84:1165–1176, 2017) to analyze the productive role of folk psychological concepts—and the operational definitions that arise from them—in the development of concepts in scientific psychology. Using the case study of similarity, I discuss the role of the folk psychological concept in the regimentation of different measures of similarity judgments. I propose that by giving rise to operational definitions that lead to experimental dissociation on the one hand, and by providing the concept with unity on the other hand, the folk psychological concept generates a productive tension that facilitates empirical and theoretical development of the scientific concept.

Comments

Accepted version. Synthese, Vol. 200, No. 2 (April 2022). DOI. © 2022 Springer. Used with permission.

Recommended Citation

Bloch-Mullins, Corinne L., "Similarity in the Making: How Folk Psychological Concepts Facilitate Development of Psychological Concepts" (2022). Philosophy Faculty Research and Publications. 855.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/phil_fac/855