Consequences of Continuity: The Hunt for Intrinsic Properties within Parameters of Dynamics in Psychological Processes

Abstract

A little over three hundred years ago Sir Isaac Newton wrote of a simple set of relations that could be used to predict the motions of objects relative to one another. The main advantage of this insight was that the relationship between the movements of the planets and stars could be predicted much more simply than with the accurate, but cumbersome Ptolemaic calculations. But perhaps the most important consequence of the acceptance of Newton's insight was that intrinsic properties such as mass could be distinguished from measurements such as weight. The success of Newtonian mechanics led directly to the widespread use of parameters such as force, relative speed, and momentum as a way of understanding the dynamics of moving objects. A similar revolution in thinking appears to be underway in the behavioral sciences. It is likely that intensive longitudinal measurement coupled with dynamical systems analyses will lead to simplified but powerful models of the evolution of psychological processes. In this case, it is reasonable to expect that a set of intrinsic psychological properties may be able to be extracted from the parameters of successful dynamical systems models. The purpose of this article is to issue an invitation to the hunt, to provide a tentative map as to where the game might likely be found, and blow a call on the hunting horn.