Development Of Scientific Theories Research Articles

Evidential Statistics in Model and Theory Development

Evidential statistics is an important advance in model and theory testing, and scientific reasoning in general, combining and extending key insights from other philosophies of statistics. A key desiderata in evidential statistics is the rigorous and objective comparison of alternative models against data. Scientific theories help to define the range of models which are brought to bear in any such assessment, including both tried and trusted models and risky novel models; such theories emerge from a kind of evolutionary process of repeated model assessment, where model selection is akin to natural selection acting both on the standing crop of genetic variation, and on novel mutations. The careful use of evidential statistics could play an important and as yet to be fulfilled role in the future development of scientific theories. We illustrate these ideas using examples from ecology and evolutionary biology.

Intermodernism: A Philosophical Perspective for Development of Scientific Nursing Theory.

Nursing is not only a professional practice, it is a scientific practice as well. One aspect of this practice involves development of scientific theory. In this article, I present a philosophical perspective called intermodernism for considering the content, structure, and process of scientific theory. Three types of theory structure are reviewed along with descriptions of the use of models and mechanisms in knowledge development. Practice is championed as a context that informs theory development as well as a context of theory validation and application.

Social Psychology and its Interface with Psychosocial Counselling

This article was developed based on the qualitative literature research with the intention of exploring the field of social psychology and its interface with psychosocial counselling. Social psychology seeks to understand how each person’s social behaviour is influenced by the culture, situation and environment in which it takes place; whereas psychosocial counselling aims to enhance the client’s psychological and social functioning in the context of his environment and circumstance. Social psychology and psychosocial counselling have both tended to focus more on managing specific human problems and social issues. The long established partnership between these two perspectives has resulted in the development of scientific theory and practical interventions over several decades. This implies that social psychology provides a framework of resources from which psychosocial counselling draws when dealing with the diverse problem situations that affect people in their social lives. The research question was: What elements in social psychology can interface with psychosocial counselling? The focus of the research was on three key elements in social psychology: self-concept, social attitudes and social prejudice. This article illustrates how these elements interface with psychosocial counselling. Therefore, social psychology and psychosocial counselling both have a significant role to play in the wider spectrum of social-welfare and human-relation services offered to needy people at all levels of contact.

Информационная технология и инструментальные средства поддержки процессов исследовательского проектирования Smart-систем

The methodological foundations of the construction of information technology, formalized models and tools for the implementation of the research-related design of smart systems based on the use of the concepts of transdisciplinarity and ontological management are considered. Designed to build systems of work with knowledge, scientific and technical creativity, including the development of objects of new technology. Designed to build systems of work with knowledge, scientific and technical creativity, including the development of objects of new technology. Results. The information technology of research-related design of smart systems is developed. An example of the creation and patenting of a linguistic processor for processing large amounts of text data with the purpose of subsequent extraction of knowledge is considered. Conclusion. The methodological foundations of the development of scientific research design systems include models, technology, and tools for cognitive processes of information processing, including the design of the new engineering objects, the automated development of ontological knowledge bases of the knowledge domain. The last ones are the basic components of intelligent technologies and systems for comprehensive scientific research of the interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary nature. The process of system integration of ontologies makes it possible to investigate the interaction of object knowledge, as an object at the intersection of disciplines, as well as in clusters of convergence, which opens opportunities for new knowledge and for the development of scientific theories. Keywords: research design, smart system, ontological management, ontology.

Bidirectional Interaction: Prerequisite Knowledge and Quantum Theory

The generation of any kind of theory cannot be separated from its specific social background, and it will certainly be marked by the era. Social factors restrict the existence and development of scientific theory and these factors do not directly affect scientific theory. Their influence on the production and development of scientific theory is realized through the intermediary of prerequisite knowledge. This paper aims to analyze the two-way interaction between knowledge of premises and quantum theory in the process of development of quantum theory from “classical” to “semi-classical” to “Non-Classical”. Therefore, it points out how to break the shackles of the original “premise knowledge” in a timely and conscious manner, and how to construct its exploration of scientific work with the most appropriate background knowledge.

Four Books for the Price of One

Four Books for the Price of One

К 70-летию профессора Александра Павловича Солдатова

18 января 2018 г. исполнилось 70 лет доктору физико-математических наук, профессору, заслуженному деятелю науки Российской Федерации Александру Павловичу Солдатову. В настоящей заметке приводятся сведения из научной биографии этого крупного ученого, который хорошо известен в России и за рубежом. Представлены сведения о его вкладе в развитие математики в области дифференциальных уравнений с частными производными и их приложений.

Experiments in systems engineering and design research

AbstractControlled experiments ranging from laboratory experiments to field experiments are becoming increasingly important within systems engineering and design (SE&D) research. Controlled experiments provide unique capabilities for testing hypotheses, and guiding the development of scientific theories, but their potential is not being fully exploited. As the systems engineering research community embraces different research methods commonly adopted in other domains, there is a need for understanding the role and appropriateness of those methods within the research process. While the design of experiments in SE&D research is not unique per se, we contend that aspects of representativeness in the SE&D context pose different experimental design challenges than do the problems typically studied by experimental social scientists. There is therefore a need to translate established practices to the SE&D context, and also belay widely held concerns about the value of experiments in SE&D research. To address this need, the goals of the paper are to discuss the potential role of controlled experiments in systems engineering and design research, to review the benefits and limitations of different types of experiments, and to highlight the key issues in validating experimental studies. The taxonomy and the discussion on validation build on the rich history in social and behavioral sciences, with specific adaptation to the SE&D context. The discussion is anchored in specific examples from the authors’ own research on open innovation in systems engineering.

“Wild Worship of a Lost and Buried Past”: Enchanted Archaeologies and the Cult of Kata, 1908–1924

Histories of archaeology traditionally traced the progress of the modern discipline as the triumph of secular disenchanted science over pre-modern, enchanted, world-views. In this article I complicate and qualify the themes of disenchantment and enchantment in archaeological histories, presenting an analysis of how both contributed to the development of scientific theory and method in the earliest decades of the twentieth century. I examine the interlinked biographies of a group who created a joke religion called “The Cult of Kata”. The self-described “Kataric Circle” included notable archaeologists Harold Peake, O.G.S. Crawford and Richard Lowe Thompson, alongside classicists, musicians, writers and performing artists. The cult highlights the connections between archaeology, theories of performance and the performing arts – in particular theatre, music, folk dance and song. “Wild worship” was linked to the consolidation of collectivities facilitating a wide variety of scientific and artistic projects whose objectives were all connected to dreams of a future utopia. The cult parodied archaeological ideas and methodologies, but also supported and expanded the development of field survey, mapping and the interpretation of archaeological distribution maps. The history of the Cult of Kata shows how taking account of the unorthodox and the interdisciplinary, the humorous and the recreational, is important within generously framed approaches to histories of the archaeological imagination. The work of the Kataric Circle is not best understood as the relentless progress of disenchanted modern science. It suggests a more complicated picture in which dynamics of enchantment and disenchantment stimulate and discipline the imagination simultaneously. I conclude with a reexamination of the politics of an emphasis on playfulness and enchantment.

The heuristics of representation in science: the mechanisms and mathematical principles in physics of Descartes and Fermat

The objective of this article, which is part of the research program developed by the authors on the role of representation in science and science education, is to highlight the use of mechanisms and mathematical principles as representational heuristics of physical phenomena. They have been used by Descartes and Fermat in their respective investigations in the field of optics, more specifically in their analysis of the light refraction phenomenon. With examples drawn from the works of the cited authors, we sought to reveal the distinct, but not exclusive commitments and conceptions about the dynamics involved in building and developing scientific theories. From the heuristic point of view, we raise the hypothesis of the complementarity and convergence between both representations, with the argument it's up to the mechanisms to capture the constituting material principle of the phenomenon, while the abstract mathematical principles should take care of its formal organization. By emphasizing aspects related to the dynamics of the construction and development of scientific theories, heuristic elements essential to an understanding of the Nature of Science (NOS) and therefore relevant to the Descartes, Fermat, Epistemology of physics, Heuristics, Physics Education teaching and learning process of physics will emerge.

FINANCIAL SECURITY OF UKRAINE IN CONDITIONS OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION

Urgency of the research. Ukraine has made a European choice as the main direction of its state policy, both internal and external, whose ultimate goal should be the full membership in the European Union. However, it is necessary to consider that the access to world markets and formation of an open economy also mean an internal stability of the economy and financial system of the state. Target setting. The financial system of Ukraine in modern conditions is influenced by a number of threats, that are negatively affecting the level of financial security. Actual scientific researches and issues analysis. Fundamental research focused on problems of financial security of Ukraine, which became the basis for the development of scientific theory of security in the field of public finance, have been done in writings of A. Baranovsky, M. Ermoshenko, V. Muntiyan, A. Sukhorukov. Today a large number of works is devoting to the study of particular aspects and components of the financial security of the state. Uninvestigated parts of general matters defining. The variability of the external environment and recent events in the European Union require in-depth study of the influence of integration processes on the financial security of Ukraine. The research objective. The main aim of the article is to summarize the issues and systematize the ways of providing financial security of Ukraine in conditions of European integration processes. The statement of basic materials. Research conducted by the author showed that the domestic financial system is very vulnerable to external and internal threats. The author has analyzed the dynamics of key macroeconomic indicators and indicators of financial security of the state during 2007-2015. The threats that are most significant for the financial security of the state have been highlighted. The author considered the possible implications of the European skepticism on the financial security of Ukraine, and the directions to increase the level of financial security in the modern world. Conclusions. The government of Ukraine should focus on domestic reforms, the creation of living standards, economics and politics in Ukraine, which are as close as possible to European. Only then it is possible to implement effective mechanisms aimed at neutralizing, minimizing the impact and eliminating the phenomena and factors leading to the creation of external and internal threats to the state's financial security.

Towards a Social Philosophy of Science: Russian Prospects

Philosophy of science as a scholarly discipline exists today side by side with other disciplines within an interdisciplinary framework of the history and philosophy of science or science and technology studies. The rationale for this “joint venture” is commonly seen in the division of labor. The history of science focuses on the rise and development of scientific theories in the past; the sociology of science deals with science as a social institution; the psychology of science investigates the mechanisms of creativity and one’s personal impact upon scientific discoveries; and finally, the philosophy of science is responsible for the logical and methodological analysis of the structure and growth of the scientific knowledge, mostly within the context of justification. This allegedly fruitful division of labor presumes an independent existence of social, personal and cognitive domains, and the desired interdisciplinary communication between the correspondent disciplines aims to account for the complementary understanding of science. But in fact no sufficient exchange of meanings takes place for every discipline insists upon its independence and prior significance. Under these conditions, neither a consistent picture of science appears to be possible nor might science policy be construed and justified basing on this disintegrated conglomerate of knowledge. A way out of the situation is as follows: (a) to acknowledge non-independent character of the philosophy of science; (b) to learn more from social philosophy; (c) to revisit the epistemological status of the natural sciences as the only cognitive ideal; (d) to focus on the social and the human sciences in search of a new methodological experience; (e) to cease considering concrete case studies as a new version of the “neutral language of observation”, which gives a “crucial justification” of a theory, and to view new philosophical interpretations a necessary feature of any case study.

Atoms and Alchemy: Chymistry and the Experimental Origins of the Scientific Revolution

Since the Enlightenment, alchemy has been viewed as a sort of antiscience, disparaged by many historians as a form of lunacy that impeded the development of rational chemistry. But, in Atoms and Alchemy, William R. Newman - a historian widely credited for reviving recent interest in alchemy - exposes the speciousness of these views and challenges widely held beliefs about the origins of the Scientific Revolution. Tracing the alchemical roots of Robert Boyle's famous mechanical philosophy, Newman shows that alchemy contributed to the mechanization of nature, a movement that lay at the very heart of scientific discovery. Boyle and his predecessors - figures like the mysterious medieval Geber or the Lutheran professor Daniel Sennert - provided convincing experimental proof that matter is made up of enduring particles at the microlevel. At the same time, Newman argues that alchemists created the operational criterion of an atomic element as the last point of analysis, thereby contributing a key feature to the development of later chemistry. Atoms and Alchemy thus provokes a refreshing debate about the origins of modern science and will be welcomed - and deliberated - by all who are interested in the development of scientific theory and practice.

Cloud Computing and Its Application in Big Data Processing of Distance Higher Education

In the development of information technology the development of scientific theory has brought the progress of science and technology. The progress of science and technology has an impact on the educational field, which changes the way of education. The arrival of the era of big data for the promotion and dissemination of educational resources has played an important role, it makes more and more people benefit. Modern distance education relies on the background of big data and cloud computing, which is composed of a series of tools to support a variety of teaching mode. Clustering algorithm can provide an effective evaluation method for students' personality characteristics and learning status in distance education. However, the traditional K-means clustering algorithm has the characteristics of randomness, uncertainty, high time complexity, and it does not meet the requirements of large data processing. In this paper, we study the parallel K-means clustering algorithm based on cloud computing platform Hadoop, and give the design and strategy of the algorithm. Then, we carry out experiments on several different sizes of data sets, and compare the performance of the proposed method with the general clustering method. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm which is accelerated has good speed up and low cost. It is suitable for the analysis and mining of large data in the distance higher education.

Single case studies as a means for developing psychological theories.

The Socratic function of single case studies (SCSs) is described in its relation to the problem of scientific theory development. Contrary to the traditional point of view, the single case study is not a demonstration or verification of theoretical concepts, but a method of their generation and opportunity for analysis of their interrelations. Considering the case study from the perspective of the Socratic function brings to light important conclusions about the ecological validity of theory development. The essential features of the Socratic function are illustrated using the example of the famous Romantic Essays of Alexandr Luria.

Descriptive Imaginary and the Epistemological Profile of Modern Social Sciences

In the present paper we intend to introduce the concept of descriptive imaginary, which designates a special type of scientific imaginary, as an investigative tool regarding the epistemological profile of social sciences. The concept is partially originated in the terminology of the French School of History and Anthropology in which important contributors are Gilbert Durand, Jacques Le Goff, Jean Jacques Wunenburger and others. We are going to distinguish descriptive imaginary from other types of imaginary, like artistic imaginary or religious imaginary and to emphasize its role in the development of natural sciences, but also of social sciences as well. As far as imagination is concerned, it had a rather difficult relation with philosophy, including epistemology and philosophy of science. Thus, it is mandatory to justify the use of the term “imaginary” in relation to the epistemological profile of various scientific disciplines. But some of the old prejudices regarding the contribution of imaginative faculty to scientific progress seem to be abandoned nowadays. At least, the productive imagination was finally distinguished from the reproductive one. Moreover, in spite of the fact that human imagination can produce a wide range of fictional entities, its partial use within the scientific descriptive effort regarding the characteristics of nature can be put into evidence, provided the use of imaginative faculty within the limits of rationality with a deep focus on the plausibility of descriptions. An important ingredient in this case is represented by specific criteria for selecting viable descriptive representations used in the development of scientific theories. We are going to study some crucial points in the historical evolution of natural sciences and social sciences, aiming to emphasize some intriguing similarities but also some disparities among them, in order to unveil the specificity of modern social sciences as far as the methodological road from Theory to Inquiry in their case is concerned. The case of sociology, which was born as “social physics” seems to be emblematic in this respect. In the end, we are going to develop a possible explanation for the presence of some methodological elements in the epistemological profile of modern social sciences that consolidate their status as modern sciences.

How could lay perspectives on successful aging complement scientific theory? Findings from a u.s. And a German life-span sample.

This article investigates lay perspectives of the concept of successful aging in young, middle-aged, and older adults from 2 cultures, the United States and Germany, to potentially guide the development of scientific theories of successful aging. The empirical findings are embedded in a comprehensive overview of theories of successful aging and life-span development and offer implications for theory development. Two samples of young, middle-aged, and older adults from the United States (N = 151) and Germany (N = 155) were asked about definitions and determinants of successful aging. Codes were developed to capture common themes among the answers, resulting in 16 categories. Themes mentioned included resources (health, social), behaviors (activities), and psychological factors (strategies, attitudes/beliefs, well-being, meaning). There were striking similarities across countries, age, and gender. Health and Social Resources were mentioned most frequently, followed by Activities/Interests, Virtues/Attitudes/Beliefs, Well-being, and Life management/Coping. Age differences were limited to Growth/Maturation and Respect/Success, and gender differences were limited to Social Resources and Well-being. Educational and cultural effects were limited to psychological factors and Education/Knowledge, which were more often mentioned by U.S. participants and individuals with more education. Young, middle-aged, and older lay persons from the United States and Germany have quite similar concepts of successful aging, which they view in far more multidimensional terms than do established scientific theories (Rowe & Kahn, 1998). Given evidence that factors mentioned by laypeople do promote successful aging, considering them in more comprehensive theoretical models may enhance our understanding.

Juxtaposing Longino’s “Equality of Intellectual Authority” with Her “Shared Standards”

Helen Longino has proposed four criteria that can objectively criticize the background beliefs and assumptions in the development of scientific theories. She deduces that the criteria - ‘recognized avenues for criticism,’ ‘shared standards,’ ‘community response’ and ‘equality of intellectual authority’ - are mutually dependent. Using the assumption that the acceptance of more than one scientific approach is possible only if an individual is educated in a non-standard background, and is given intellectual authority which, in turn, refutes the idea of standardization in science, I argue that her assertion is contradictory. One of her criterion ‘shared standards’ implicitly nullifies the attempt to embrace points of view from various other perspectives, based on the difference of cultures and intellectual backgrounds - ‘equality of intellectual authority’ in the scientific community.

Exhibition: Pretty As A Picture Beautiful Science: Picturing Data, Inspiring Insight

They say a picture paints a thousand words but is it also true that a picture paints a thousand numbers? The British Library’s latest exhibition Beautiful Science: Picturing Data, Inspiring Insight considers the role of diagrams and data display in the development of scientific theory over the ages. It has impressive works from the archive, mixed with modern artwork and video sound bites from Professor Dame Sally Davies all underlying the importance of data illustration in our understanding of the world. It is divided into three areas: climate, evolution, and public health and opens with a computer animation showing the flow of the ocean currents crunched from thousands of NASA satellite readings.

Internationalization of construction firms: what strategy do they follow?

Globalization of markets and economic changes force companies to respond adequately and expand their activities abroad. The paper aims to adopt different approaches, developed internationalization theory, and to present a conceptual framework focused on business internationalization strategy. The interrelations of strategic goals, organizational competencies and competitive advantage are investigated. The qualitative research method was applied and in depth interviews with the managers of construction companies were performed. The obtained results of research revealed that cooperation strategies involving customers, suppliers and competitors are seen as the main precondition for internationalization of companies. The success of cooperation strategies is based on obtained human resources, technical and management skills of companies. The author of research has elaborated proposals, which are useful for further internationalization of business. The presented paper provides new insights into the scientific theory development.