History of Psychology On Line Resources

How do we understand the progress of a field?

Two elements to consider:

Who brings about change?

Are events or changes caused by great people, or are they caused by cultural factors like the Zeitgeist (literally: spirit of the times).

How does knowledge itself progress?

• Continuously and systematically, through the accumulation of data, the forming, testing and refuting hypotheses according to the critical rationalism of SIR KARL POPPER (1902-1994). Refuting hypotheses is what makes knowledge progress. His perhaps most important book is The Logic of Scientific Discovery (1934)
  • The Karl Popper Web created and maintained by Dr. Ray Scott Percival and Dr. Barry McMullin is an excellent resource worth exploring.
• Through the formation of paradigms and sudden paradigm shifts according to THOMAS KUHN (1922-1996). The progress of science is not that rational. Many elements can cause a paradigm to shift: the weight of exceptions against that paradigm, intersting discoveries in new areas etc...
  • An informative site on Thomas Kuhn at Emory University, by Professor Frank Pajares. Read some of the articles, especially the synopsis the "The Structure of Scientific Revolution"