Hypothetico-deductive and inductive approaches in ecology

Content Provider	Semantic Scholar
Author	Mentis, Michael T.
Copyright Year	1988
Abstract	Ecology is the study of living organisms and their environment in an attempt to explain, understand and predict. How is it, or how should it be, pursued? At the outset it is questionable whether any method or approach should be prescribed. Yet even the attacks 'against method' (e.g. Feyerabend, 1975) prescribe a method of sorts, namely that of no method. In any case, if 'anything goes, everything stays' or, by implication, all methods are of equal merit; it is a dubious argument. Therefore, of the approaches so far developed, which best produces knowledge of the kind ecologists seek? Is it possible to develop a guide to aid students and researchers in the planning and execution of their studies? Innumerable texts prescribe how to design an experiment and how to collect and analyse data. Only rarely is guidance offered on the selection of the type of broad approach to be used, on the nature of the inferences to be drawn and on the limitations or implications of these. Therefore, this article focuses on the broad approaches. At the risk of oversimplifying, the two approaches examined are the so-called hypothetico-deductive and inductive schemes. An ecologist's view of these schemes (their implications and limitations) is detailed below. But briefly, the hypothetico-deductive scheme implies collection and analysis of data to evaluate the truth of a priori hypotheses. Induction attempts to develop knowledge, generate hypotheses or derive general statements, from specific data. The present review is centred about a scheme illustrated in Fig. 1. While the scheme is intended to be helpful, it is not presumed to be definitive. Rather the aim is to provoke debate, in the spirit that how we conduct our ecology is no less important than the facts which it produces. It is hoped that use of the guide will lead to its improvement or even replacement and ultimately to ecology efficiently yielding explanation, understanding and predictive capability. For reasons of practical convenience, Fig. 1 is partitioned into hypothetico-deductive and inductive sections and these are considered in turn below. To aid the reader, the relevant steps in Fig. 1. are referred to in the course of the discussion.
Starting Page	5
Ending Page	5
Page Count	1
File Format	PDF HTM / HTML
DOI	10.2307/2389454
Volume Number	2
Alternate Webpage(s)	http://www.manoa.hawaii.edu/ctahr/aheed/Carl/supplementary%20readings/Mentis_1988_Hypothetico-Deductive_and_Inductive_Approaches_in_Ecology.pdf
Alternate Webpage(s)	https://doi.org/10.2307/2389454
Language	English
Access Restriction	Open
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article