Theory and ontology in behavioural science

Janna Hastings; Susan Michie; Marie Johnston

doi:10.1038/s41562-020-0826-9

Theory and ontology in behavioural science

Janna Hastings^* (Corresponding Author), Susan Michie, Marie Johnston

^*Corresponding author for this work

University College London

Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter › peer-review

20 Citations (Scopus)

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Abstract

In a recent Perspective1, Muthukrishna and Henrich (MH) argue that an important and overlooked driver for the replication crisis in the social and behavioural sciences is “the lack of a cumulative theoretical framework.” We have previously written about the importance of theory for human behaviour research2,3, and we agree that harnessing theories helps to enable cumulative science, by coordinating evidence and synthesis, providing a rationale for predictions and giving a basis for interpreting new findings4.

Original language	English
Article number	226
Number of pages	1
Journal	Nature Human Behaviour
Volume	4
Early online date	17 Feb 2020
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-020-0826-9
Publication status	Published - Mar 2020

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This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Nature Human Behaviour. The final authenticated version is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41562-020-0826-9
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Theory and ontology in behavioural science

Abstract

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