#1234 Uljana Feest - Operationism in Psychology: An Epistemology of Exploration
RECORDED ON JULY 9th 2025.
Dr. Uljana Feest is a Professor at the Institute of Philosophy at the University of Hannover. She is a philosopher of science who specializes in the philosophy and history of the behavioral sciences (psychology, social science, cognitive science). She is particularly interested in the epistemological challenges that arise in those fields, and she addresses these challenges by analyzing observational and experimental practices and scientific methodologies. She is the author of Operationism in Psychology: An Epistemology of Exploration.
In this episode, we focus on Operationism in Psychology. We start by talking about the premise of the book, philosophy of experimentation, and the example of the study of implicit memory. We discuss how conceptual work and experimental work are intertwined; the objects of research in experimental psychology; operationism; discovery, justification, and exploration; the interplay between theory and evidence; the role of philosophy in scientific investigation; and the replication crisis. Finally, we discuss whether the analysis generalizes beyond psychology.
Time Links:
Intro
The premise of the book
Philosophy of experimentation
The study of implicit memory
How conceptual work and experimental work are intertwined
Objects of research in experimental psychology
Operationism
Discovery, justification, and exploration
The interplay between theory and evidence
The role of philosophy in scientific investigation
The replication crisis
Does the analysis generalize beyond psychology?
Follow Dr. Feest’s work!
Follow Dr. Feest’s work:
Faculty page: https://tinyurl.com/3t9hs7mh
PhilPeople profile: https://tinyurl.com/msdausnx
Operationism in Psychology: https://tinyurl.com/55tph2ks