Sense and nonsense in psychological measurement: A case of problem and method passing one another by

Abstract

There exists conceptual confusion in the psychological measurement literature. One such example is the nonsense of the question, “are psychological attributes quantitative?” when referring to nontechnical psychological phenomena. Rather than debating whether this is an empirical or conceptual question, the issue of concern should be whether it makes sense to ask it. As illuminated by Wittgenstein almost a century ago, the concepts of psychology are everyday concepts rather than technical ones. However, the enduring comparison of psychology with the physical sciences leads to the adoption of technical language that loses its meaning when used with the aim of explaining everyday concepts. For this reason, asking whether psychological attributes are quantitative is, in many cases, a nonsensical question to ask.