An attempt to interpret some problems in measurement science on the basis of Kuhn’s theory of paradigms

Rossi, Giovanni Battista

doi:10.1016/j.measurement.2005.12.006

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 14 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This is the way in which measurements are normally performed in physics and engineering and may be assumed as a general paradigm, provided that a proper definition of measuring system is adopted. We propose to define it as an empirical system able to interact with objects carrying the quantity under investigation and to produce, as a result of the interaction, an observable output, on the basis of which it is possible to assign a value to the measurand (in agreement with the previously established reference scale) [31]. Note that this definition is general enough to accomplish also measurements by a panel or a jury, as often occurs in the case of perception [29].…”

Section: The Role Of the Measuring Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although measuring systems (or instruments) have been key in the development of modern science, quite surprisingly the notion of a measuring system is almost completely absent in the representational theory of measurement [31]. This may probably be explained by considering that the representational theory has been developed mainly in the area of behavioural sciences, where the concept of a measuring system is not considered to be so important.…”

Section: A Criticism To the Representational Viewpointmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Measurability

Rossi

2007

Measurement

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We discuss measurability, intended as the fundamental problem of assessing what can be measured. We review some of the main ideas that have been historically proposed on this subject, including the positions of Helmoltz, Campbell and Stevens, the representational viewpoint and some criticism of it.Then we propose an approach that attempts to combine scientific rigour with openness to innovation and we discuss its applicability to both fundamental and derived quantities, in virtually any scientific domain.Such an approach may be particularly suited for addressing the measurement of quantities related to human perception.

show abstract

Section: The Role Of the Measuring Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: A Criticism To the Representational Viewpointmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measurability

Rossi

2007

Measurement

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Philosophical perspectives on measurement

Mari

Wilson

2021

Springer Series in Measurement Science and Technology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Philosophical Perspectives on Measurement

Mari

Wilson

2023

Springer Series in Measurement Science and Technology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This chapter aims to present a brief conceptual history of philosophical thinking about measurement, concentrating in particular on the issues of objectivity and subjectivity, realism and nonrealism, and the role of models in measurement, as well as a discussion of how these philosophical issues have shaped thinking and discourse about measurement in both the human and physical sciences. First, three perspectives on measurement and its epistemic status are discussed, grouped as (a) naive realism, (b) operationalism, and (c) representationalism. Following this, we discuss how these perspectives have informed thinking about the concept of validity in the human sciences, and how they have influenced the way in which measurement is characterized in different contexts as being dependent on empirical and/or mathematical constraints. We then attempt to synthesize these perspectives and propose a version of model-dependent realism which maintains some of the elements of each of these perspectives and at the same time rejects their most radical aspects, by acknowledging the fundamental role of models in measurement but also emphasizing that models are always models of something: the empirical components of measurement are designed and operated to guarantee that, via such models, measurement results convey information on the intended property. The analysis also provides a simple explanation of two of the most critical stereotypes that still affect measurement science: the hypotheses that (1) measurement is quantification, which hides the relevance of the empirical component of the process, and that (2) measurement is only a process of transmission and presentation of preexisting information, usually intended as the “true value” of the measurand, which instead neglects the role of models in the process.

show abstract

An attempt to interpret some problems in measurement science on the basis of Kuhn’s theory of paradigms

Cited by 7 publications

References 14 publications

Measurability

Measurability

Philosophical perspectives on measurement

Philosophical Perspectives on Measurement

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About