Quantitative Methods in Psychology 论文

摘要

AMEETING of the Royal Society was held on March 24 to discuss the application of quanti tative methods to certain problems in psychology. The discussion, which was on three different problems, was introduced by Dr. C. S. Myers, who pointed out that conscious experience can only be measured numerically in terms of the antecedent physical stimulus, the concomitant physiological activities, or the consequent changes in outward behaviour. If mathematical operations on psychological data are to be of psychological value, each step in such opera tions must be carefully studied so as to be assured that it is psychologically warranted and not merely of interest to the mathematician. The psychological whole being greater than the sum of its parts, and the nature of these parts being dependent on the whole, the limitations of psychological atomism and psychological mechanics must always be borne in mind. But even if factorial analysis, although mathematically possible, may have only a limited use in applied psychology, nevertheless occupational guidance and selection, as at present practised, are demonstrably of considerable value.