“Psychological Science: The [Non-]Theory of Psychological Testing – Part 1” can be found HERE.
Q & A
Q. If Psychological Test Theory (PTT) is not a theory but a tautology, then what should be substituted in it's place?
A. How about replacing it with a scientific, or observational theory. *
* I hope those who believe PTT is a scientific theory will indulge me in my elaboration, below.
The story so far
No modern science begins with the assumption, explicitly or implicitly, of the reality of Plato's World of Ideal Forms. The one exception is testing and measurement in the social sciences, particularly psychological or mental testing. What is not appreciated by many, if not most, social scientists is that PTT assumptions like True Score, or Latent Trait, are not like literary dramatic license that gives weight and impact to the narrative. From the point of view of the philosophy of science, they are indistinguishable from Plato's Ideal Forms, and have no place in modern science.
Mathematical argument is found in all modern science. The social sciences are no exception. Scientists use mathematical argument in three ways:
- It is used as a way to analyze, understand, and communicate data from observation;
- Mathematical argument helps one hypothesize about data not yet observed; and
- In the service of supplementing 1 and 2, properties of mathematical inventions and constructions are used as convenient substitutes for the undetermined properties of observed or hypothesized data.
PTT, however, tends to use mathematical inventions and constructions, not as a supplement to mathematical argument based on observation, but as a near total substitute for it. This is the tradition handed down to Western civilization from Pythagoras, that is both praised and lamented by Carl Sagan in his book and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) video series, “Cosmos”.
“Pythagoras…developed a method of mathematical deduction…. The modern tradition of mathematical argument, essential to all of science, owes much to Pythagoras.” Pp. 149-150.
“In the recognition by Pythagoras and Plato that the Cosmos is knowable, that there is a mathematical underpinning to nature, they greatly advanced the cause of science. But in the suppression of disquieting facts, the sense that science should be kept for a small elite, the distaste for experiment [emphasis mine], the embrace of mysticism…, they set back the human enterprise.” P. 155.
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