Science as instrumentation. The case for psychiatric rating scales

Philippe Moigne () and Pascal Ragouet
Additional contact information
Philippe Moigne: Université Paris V, Sorbonne Paris Cité
Pascal Ragouet: Université Segalen Bordeaux 2

Scientometrics, 2012, vol. 93, issue 2, No 7, 329-349

Abstract: Abstract The aim of this article is to test the model analysis conceived by Terry Shinn on the autonomy and unity of science. For him, the differentiation of sciences can be explained in a large part by the diffusion of generic instruments created by research-technologists moving in interstitial arenas between higher education, industry, statistics institutes or the military. We have applied this analysis to research on depression by making the hypothesis that psychiatric rating scales could have played a similar role in the development of this scientific field. To that purpose, we proceeded to a lexicographic study of keywords mentioned in articles listed by the PsycINFO© data base on this subject between 1950 and 2000. In order to realize an associated words analysis, we constructed a co-occurrence matrix and used clustering analysis based on a grouping index; that is, the equivalency index. We obtained significant aggregates of keywords associated with significant periods, or major moments, of the development of research on depression. This periodization confirmed the structural role played by psychiatric rating scales in the development of this scientific field, and led us to discuss and to extend some elements of the model initiated by Shinn.

Keywords: Instrument; Depression; Psychiatry; Standardization; History; Co-word analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11192-012-0673-1 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:scient:v:93:y:2012:i:2:d:10.1007_s11192-012-0673-1

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/economics/journal/11192

DOI: 10.1007/s11192-012-0673-1

Access Statistics for this article

Scientometrics is currently edited by Wolfgang Glänzel

More articles in Scientometrics from Springer, Akadémiai Kiadó
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().