Constructing the Subject Historical Origins of Psychological Research [Paperback]

Constructing the Subject traces the history of psychological research from the nineteenth to mid-twentieth century.Considering methodology as a kind of social practice rather than being simply a matter of technique, this book traces the history of psychological research methodology from the nineteenth century to the emergence of currently favored styles of research.Considering methodology as a kind of social practice rather than being simply a matter of technique, this book traces the history of psychological research methodology from the nineteenth century to the emergence of currently favored styles of research.The book traces the history of psychological research methodology from the nineteenth century to the emergence of currently favored styles of research. Professor Danziger considers methodology as a kind of social practice rather than being simply a matter of technique. Therefore his historical analysis is primarily concerned with such topics as the development of the social structure of the research relationship between experimenters and their subjects, as well as the role of methodology in the relationship of investigators to each other and to a wider social context. Another major theme addresses the relationship between the social practice of research and the nature of the product that is the outcome of this practice.Preface; 1. Introduction; 2. Historical roots of the psychological laboratory; 3. Divergence of investigative practice: the repudiation of Wundt; 4. The social structure of psychological experimentation; 5. The triumph of the aggregate; 6. Identifying the subject in psychological research; 7. Marketable methods; 8. Investigative practice as a professional project; 9. From quantification to methodolatry; 10. Investigating persons; 11. The social construction of psychological knowledge; Appendix; Notes; Index. Danziger is to be commended for his incisive and compelling archeology of investigative practices. Without a doubt, this is the most iml£J