Fact It to the Max: Philosophical Assumptions & Data-Driven Decisions
March 5, 2023
Question: This philosophical assumption of science describes a behavior analyst’s commitment to database decision-making.
Answer: Empiricism.
Knowledge is built on empiricism, and empiricism is a scientific focus on objective observation and measurement. That means that all science, including our science, relies on experimentation, which then draws its conclusions from data. Empiricism in science requires this objective quantification and detailed description of events. These descriptions are regarded as facts that are derived from experimentation and data collection. When you hear the words “evidence-based,” or “fact-based,” or “based on facts,” what’s being described specifically is data. Data equals facts. And empiricism, in itself, is that focus on the data.
For example, an empirical statement: “I study two to three hours a day, five days a week.” Assuming you collected data to make that statement, that’s empiricism. Versus, “I study a lot.” Not empirical. Somebody who measured how much sleep they get and made the empirical claim that they sleep eight hours a night, six out of seven nights a week; that is an empirical statement, assuming the data was collected. Versus a non-empirical statement, which would be: “I get enough sleep,” or “I get a lot of sleep,” or “I don’t get that much sleep.” That doesn’t mean anything. It’s not fact-based. It’s not data-based.
