On the nature of a critical methodology

Abstract

Abstract. This article describes an expanded view of methodology— termed a critical methodology—in the wake of criticisms of the received view of scientific method. A critical methodology would involve a de-emphasis on method per se, the need for methodological innovation and the continual critical examination of the assumptions that undergird methods and other research resources. It is argued that under a critical methodology, the processes of theory construction and research would be essentially processes of argument construction, where arguments can be supported with many types of evidence. Although there is no final certainty through method under this framework, progress can result from the tension between various perspectives in context. Key Words: argument construction, counterrules, Feyerabend, historical perspective, methodological pluralism, qualitative methods, quantitative methods The received view of scientific method in psychology, borrowing heavily from the natural sciences and emphasizing empirical, quantitative proce-dures, has long been a topic of debate and criticism (e.g. Bakan, 1972