Journal article
Structure as Cause and Representation: Implications of Descriptivist Inference for Structural Modeling Across Multiple Levels of Analysis
Journal of abnormal psychology (1965), Vol.125(8), pp.1146-1157
11/2016
DOI: 10.1037/abn0000206
PMID: 27819474
Abstract
What does a structural model reflect? Different answers to this question implicitly underlie different nosological paradigms. Traditionally, structural analysis has been seen as a process of identifying true or causative values, states, or conditions. This paradigm has faced mounting challenges, however, as psychopathology theory and research has come to encompass different levels of analysis, with concomitant questions about what constructs are most "correct." Here, we discuss an alternative descriptivist paradigm, in which models are seen as the process of identifying optimally parsimonious, generalizable representations of observations. This paradigm allows for an integration of theoretical and methodological approaches that are often seen in mutual opposition, and recasts traditional measurement and structural models in a new light. In this article, we explain the descriptivist perspective, illustrating important concepts using empirical examples from the Human Connectome Project and this issue. We address structural theory within the context of varying levels of analysis, demonstrating how the descriptivist approach can elucidate the nature of hierarchical features and provide a framework for empirically delineating psychopathology structure.
General Scientific Summary
Models of psychopathology structure can be thought of as parsimonious ways to represent psychopathological phenomena. Mathematical information theory provides a principled approach to doing so, that complements approaches based on causality.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Structure as Cause and Representation: Implications of Descriptivist Inference for Structural Modeling Across Multiple Levels of Analysis
- Creators
- Kristian E Markon - Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of IowaKatherine G Jonas - Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa
- Contributors
- Sherryl Goodman (Editor)Robert F Krueger (Editor)Jennifer L Tackett (Editor)Angus MacDonald (Editor)
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of abnormal psychology (1965), Vol.125(8), pp.1146-1157
- Publisher
- American Psychological Association
- DOI
- 10.1037/abn0000206
- PMID
- 27819474
- ISSN
- 0021-843X
- eISSN
- 1939-1846
- Alternative title
- COMMENTARY
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 11/2016
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences
- Record Identifier
- 9984083205902771
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