Are Psychological Quantities and Measurement Relevant in the 21st Century?

摘要

Osborne (2010, p. 1) argues that as quantitative psychologists we must “keep challenging ourselves…and…continue questioning and examining our tacit assumptions”. Whilst I wholeheartedly endorse the critical and optimistic spirit of his article, I find it alarming that he only implicitly directs quantitative psychologists to question and examine their most fundamental tacit assumption. This is the claim, or rather, inadequately tested hypothesis that continuous, psychological quantities exist. Unless we “shrug off the shackles of 20th century methodology and thinking” (Osborne, 2010, p. 3) and seriously address this hypothesis, the relevance of quantitative psychology, and the “measurements” it provides will remain obscure in this century and beyond.