In Goffman's terms, qualitative interviews are social encounters with their own realities. Hence, the 'situational critique' holds that interviews cannot produce knowledge about the world beyond these encounters, and that other methods, ethnography in particular, render lived life more accurately. The situational critique cannot be dismissed; yet…

Contrary to its typical presentation in scientific publications as a certain and linear process, in reality, the experimental method, not least the design aspect of it, requires a great deal of trial-and-error and ad hoc decision-making on the part of the researchers. This uncertain and contingent aspect of research, although little known outside…

In this paper we make a case for 'Little Data', which is real-time, self-collected, idiosyncratic datasets maintained by individuals about themselves on myriad topics. We develop and offer a methodology for combining these messy, highly personal insights, to make deductive observations about collective practices. In testing this approach, we use…

Discusses a new technique for training fluid control technicians. Technical Education is a bimonthly supplement to Industrial Arts and Vocational Education. (Editor/GB)

Many students are not skilled "thinkers" or "problem solvers." Extensive research has been conducted to describe the mental processes involved in problem solving in the hope of establishing a theoretical basis for training students to become more adept at reasoning. Certain problems become evident, however, when reviewing literature for designing…

This paper takes the position that theories about individual differences in childhood and theories about cognitive development both would be enhanced if the two lines of research were integrated. The heuristic value of this position is illustrated in the context of analogical reasoning tasks. A general model of analogy solution and potential…

Counterfactuals are routinely used in physical and biological sciences to develop and evaluate sophisticated, non-linear models. They have been used with telling effect in the study of economic history and American politics. For some historians, counterfactual arguments have no scholarly standing. They consider them flights of fancy, fun over a…

A method of examining individual variation in responses to Inhelder-Piaget formal reasoning tasks is proposed as a means of identifying cognitive style components of formal reason and as a means of generating more complete descriptions of observable manifestations of formal reasoning. The method is one used by human ethologists and consists of…

Discusses Kris N. Kirby's work on signal detection theory and its application to Watson's selection task. Identifies problems with the design and interpretation of Kirby's card-selection experiments. (DR)

Discusses Over and Evans' alternative interpretations to Kris N. Kirby's card-selection tasks and finds empirical difficulties. Cites the potentially important contribution of Over and Evans to understanding of the card-selection task by applying the notion of epistemic utility. (DR)

THE AUTHOR'S PURPOSE IN THIS CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF CURRENT LINGUISTIC THOUGHT IS TO "INVITE LINGUISTS TO FREE THEMSELVES FROM THOSE BELIEFS WHICH REST ULTIMATELY UPON CERTAIN PHILOSOPHICAL COMMITMENTS" AND WHICH HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED (IN HER OPINION) WITHOUT PROPER ASSESSMENT. SOME OF THE BELIEFS SHE QUESTIONS ARE--(1) THAT LINGUISTIC METHOD…

Uses a case study to illustrate problems associated with historical reasoning. The problems highlighted are confusion over the difference between reason and cause, enthusiasm of the antiquarian, misguided search for "essence," misconceptions as to when to quantify, propagandistic tendencies, equating sensationalism with importance,…

Reevaluates literature on the development of transitive inference in light of theoretical and methodological criticisms, and examines two aspects of the Piagetian account of the development of this cognitive ability. Criticism leveled is based on the observations that ability to make transitive inferences is not age-related and that children and…