About this episode

The episode discusses the challenges posed by vague concepts in psychological science, including the jingle-jangle fallacy and the need for clearer conceptual definitions.

In this episode, we discuss the problems associated with vague concepts in psychological science. We talk about the jingle-jangle fallacy, the trade-off between broad concepts and more precise concepts, if we should generate databases of conceptual definitions, and how the reward structures can get in the way of specifying concepts clearly. Shownotes Aikins, H. A. (1902). The principles of logic. H. Holt and Company. https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcmassbookdig.principlesoflogi00aiki/ Chalmers, D. J. (2025). What is conceptual engineering and what should it be? Inquiry, 68(9), 2902–2919. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020174X.2020.1817141 Gerring, J. (1999). What Makes a Concept Good? A Criterial Framework for Understanding Concept Formation in the Social Sciences. Polity, 31(3), 357–393. https://doi.org/10.2307/3235246 Hirsch, P. M., & Levin, D. Z. (1999). Umbrella Advocates Versus Validity Police: A Life-Cycle Model. Organization Science, 10(2), 199–212. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.10.2.199 Sartori, G. (1970). Concept Misformation in Comparative Politics. The American Political Science Review, 64(4), 1033–1053. https://doi.org/10.2307/1958356 Thorndike, E. L. (Edward L. (with…

People in this episode

Hosts: Smriti Mehta, Daniël Lakens

Topics covered

• vague concepts
• psychological science
• jingle-jangle fallacy
• conceptual definitions
• reward structures

Keywords

• vague concepts
• psychological science
• jingle-jangle fallacy
• conceptual definitions
• reward structures

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The principles of logic, What is conceptual engineering and what should it be?, What Makes a Concept Good? A Criterial Framework for Understanding Concept Formation in the Social Sciences, Umbrella Advocates Versus Validity Police: A Life-Cycle Model, Concept Misformation in Comparative Politics, An introduction to the theory of mental and social measurements, Interpretation of education measurements

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