Improving Science by Improving Scientific Communication: The View From the APA Publications and Communications Board

This article discusses four core themes distilled from contributions to this discussion of human judgment models. These are (a) the appropriate abstractness level at which judgmental processes are represented, (b) the appropriate substance of the representation, (c) the appropriate assessment of such a representation, and (d) ways of modeling the hierarchical organization of cognition and behavior. A conceptualization is defended that highlights parametric continuities underlying cognitive phenomena, recognizes the essential rulelike mediation of human judgment and action, and adopts the criterion of explanatory functionality as a paramount arbiter in determining the utility of conceptual distinctions.