Summary
This paper presents a metascientific study called systematology. The frame-of-reference, or the metatheory of systematology is briefly presented. It is then applied in an analysis of Skinner’s philosophy and metatheory. Skinner’s philosophy is found to be a version of materialistic monism and radical empiricism. Hence, Skinner’s meta-theory precludes the application of intervening variables (or hypothetical constructs) of any kind. However, Skinner does use some intervening variables (without surplus meaning), the so-called ‘response probability’. But in accordance with his radical empiricism he is using the intervening variable very economically, and his theory is found to have the highest degree of testability.
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© 1988 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
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Madsen, K.B. (1988). Skinner’s Philosophy and Metatheory: A Metatheoretical Analysis. In: Baker, W.J., Mos, L.P., Rappard, H.V., Stam, H.J. (eds) Recent Trends in Theoretical Psychology. Recent Research in Psychology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3902-4_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3902-4_13
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