Faculty
My
research addresses epistemological issues in the history of
psychology. Historians of science have recently turned away
from the study of theories toward examination of the day-to-day
practices by which scientists construct knowledge. My focus
is on how psychologists, both today and in the past, have used
"inscription devices" – graphs, tables, and
diagrams – in reasoning about data, discovering novel
phenomena, and communicating their findings. Historical comparisons
of psychologists’ practices with those of other scientists
have revealed striking differences in how scientists from different
disciplines go about their work, and these differences suggest
possibilities for improving psychological methods. In regard
to the history of psychology, I have also published articles
and books on the history of behaviorism and its philosophy of
science.
Representative Publications
Arsenault, D. J., Smith, L. D., & Beauchamp, E. A. (2006).
Visual inscriptions in the scientific hierarchy: Mapping the
"treasures of science." Science Communication, 27,
376-428.
Boynton, D. M., & Smith, L. D. (2006). Bringing history
to life: Simulating landmark experiments in psychology. History
of Psychology, 9, 113-143.
Smith, L. D., Best, L. A., Stubbs, D. A., Archibald, A. B.,
& Roberson-Nay, R. (2002). Constructing knowledge: The role
of graphs and tables in hard and soft psychology. American Psychologist,
57, 749-761.
Best, L. A., Smith, L. D., & Stubbs, D. A. (2001). Graph
use in psychology and other sciences. Behavioural Processes,
54, 155-165.
Smith, L. D., Best, L. A., Cylke, V. A., & Stubbs, D. A.
(2000). Psychology without p values: Data analysis at the turn
of the 19th century. American Psychologist, 55, 260-263.
Smith, L. D., Best, L. A., Stubbs, D. A., Johnston, J., &
Archibald, A. B. (2000). Scientific graphs and the hierarchy
of the sciences: A Latourian survey of inscription practices.
Social Studies of Science, 30, 73-94.
Freedman, E. G., & Smith, L. D. (1996). The role of data
and theory in covariation assessment: Implications for the theory-ladenness
of observation. Journal of Mind and Behavior, 17, 321-343.
Smith, L. D., & Woodward, W. R. (Eds.). (1996). B. F. Skinner
and behaviorism in American culture. Bethlehem, PA: Lehigh University
Press.
Smith, L. D. (1992). On prediction and control: B. F. Skinner
and the technological ideal of science. American Psychologist,
47, 216-223.
Smith, L. D. (1986). Behaviorism and logical positivism: A Reassessment
of the alliance. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
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