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Motivational constructs: Real, causally powerful, not psychologically constructed.

Andrea Scarantino1

  • 1Department of Philosophy, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA ascarantino@gsu.eduhttps://sites.google.com/site/andreascarantinoswebsite/.

The Behavioral and Brain Sciences
|January 31, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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High-level motivational constructs in psychology possess their own causal powers, even when examined at computational and algorithmic levels. This research defends the explanatory utility of these constructs in psychological science.

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Philosophy of Mind

Background:

  • The explanatory utility of high-level motivational constructs in psychology is debated.
  • Murayama and Jach argue these constructs lack independent causal powers, advocating for their "unpacking" into lower-level processes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To challenge the view that high-level motivational constructs are merely descriptive and lack causal efficacy.
  • To argue for the continued relevance and causal role of these constructs in psychological explanations.

Main Methods:

  • Philosophical argumentation and conceptual analysis.
  • Examination of the relationship between high-level constructs and their underlying computational, algorithmic, and implementational bases.

Main Results:

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  • High-level motivational constructs retain causal powers irrespective of their underlying mechanisms.
  • The "unpacking" of constructs does not negate their explanatory or causal role.

Conclusions:

  • Psychological science benefits from utilizing high-level motivational constructs as causally efficacious entities.
  • A nuanced understanding of construct levels is crucial for robust psychological theorizing.