In this way, the article is constructed in a logical way in order to arrive at its more complex presentations and finally at its conclusions. Interestingly, the concepts are explained in very clear language, without an overflow of academic jargon, even while at the same time explicating academic concepts upon the basis of philosophy and neuroscientific research.
Because the article is explicatory in nature, the author does not conduct practical research to establish a hypothesis and prove it, but rather engages in citing research already conducted in order to prove his hypothesis on perception and causation. In this way, the article is generally philosophical in nature, although it makes significant use of practical and scientific data established by others. In this way, it satisfies both the requirements of philosophy and science, while addressing a primarily philosophical idea.
Attribution theory has at its basis the premise the cause and effect relationship in all human action. This is also the premise of the article. What particularly interests me about Freeman's article above other possibilities I investigated is the construction of his article. Attribution theory considers mainly philosophical ideas and proof. Yet Freeman has made a point of substantiating his ideas not only with established philosophy, but also with neuroscientific research. This provides particular viability to his viewpoints.
I am interested in attribution theory because of its applicability to the human condition by explicatory means. It suggests that the complexity of human behavior can be investigated and explained by means of causality (Kearsley, 2009). Research such as that by Freeman then...
However, Freeman suggests that it can be explicated by more than philosophical consideration of the cause and effect relationship. It can be based within scientific and biological research. The implications for further study are numerous.
In the future, for example, problematic behavior problems could be mitigated by a combination of both philosophical and scientific research on the cause and effect relationship. This provides some home that such research could be used to help understand the thought processes of the criminally insane and the mentally unstable. By understanding these behaviors, better and more targeted cures can be found.
In this way, attribution theory is a valuable and interesting field of study. It influences the way in which psychologists view their research, as well as the way in which human beings see each other, their function and their work (AllPsych Online, 2004). Encompassing such a wide field, I do not believe the student in this field will ever be short of material to study.
References
AllPsych Online. (2004). Our View of Self and Others. Heffner Media Group, Inc. http://allpsych.com/psychology101/attribution_attraction.html
Freeman, Walter J. III (2008). "Perception of time and causation through the kinesthesia of intentional action" Integrative Psychological & Behavioral Science. 42 (2), pp. 137-143. Postprint available free at: http://repositories.cdlib.org/postprints/3375
Kearsley, Greg (2009). TIP Database: Attribution Theory. http://tip.psychology.org/weiner.html
