ABS: Smith, Scientific graphs and the hierarchy of the sciences: A Latourian survey of inscription practices

[Gretchen Whitney]

Lawrence D. Smith : e-mail : ldsmith at maine.edu

Title           Scientific graphs and the hierarchy of the sciences: A
Latourian survey of inscription practices
Author          Smith LD, Best LA, Stubbs DA, Johnston J, Archibald AB
Journal         SOCIAL STUDIES OF SCIENCE 30: (1) 73-94 FEB 2000

 Document type: Article    Language: English    Cited References: 58
Times Cited: 1


Abstract:
Studies comparing the cognitive status of the sciences have long sought to
identify the distinguishing features of 'hard' and 'soft' science. Attempts
by philosophers of science to ground such distinctions in abstract
principles and by sociologists of science to detect relevant differences
(for example, in consensus levels) have met with limited success. However,
recent investigations of scientists' concrete practices of data
representation provide new leads on this problem. In particular, Bruno
Latour has argued that graphs are essential to science due to their ability
to render phenomena into compact, transportable and persuasive form.
Applying Latour's notion of 'graphism' to the hierarchy of sciences, we
found that the use of graphs across seven scientific disciplines
correlated almost perfectly with their hardness, and that the same pattern
held up across ten specialty fields in psychology.

Author Keywords:
data representation, fractional graph area, graphism, hard science, Latour,
soft science

KeyWords Plus:
SOCIAL-SCIENCES, PSYCHOLOGY, CONSENSUS, FIELDS

Addresses:
Smith LD, Univ Maine, Dept Psychol, 5742 Clarence Cook Little Hall, Orono,
ME 04469 USA.
Univ Maine, Dept Psychol, Orono, ME 04469 USA.

Publisher:
SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD, LONDON

Cited Author            Cited Work                Volume      Page      Year

 BAZERMAN C            SHAPING WRITTEN KNOW        153      1988
 BEST LA               ANN M AM PSYCH ASS B                         1999
 BEYER JM              SOCIOL QUART                  19        68      1978
 BIGLAN A              J APPL PSYCHOL                61       123      1990
 BIGLAN A              J APPL PSYCHOL                57       195      1973
 BOHRNSTEDT GW         AM BEHAV SCI                  23       786      1980
 BUTLER DL             BEHAV RES METH INSTR          25        81      1993
 CHAMBERS JM           GRAPHICAL METHODS DA                            1983
 CLEVELAND             VISUALIZING DATA                                1993
 CLEVELAND WS          AM STAT                       38       261      1984
 COHEN IB              INTERACTIONS SOME CO                     6      1994
 COLE S                AM J SOCIOL                   89       111      1983
 COLE S                MAKING SCI NATURE SO                   111      1992
 COLE S                METRIC SCI ADVENT SC                   209      1978
 COLLINS R             SOCIOL FORUM                   9       155      1994
 COMTE A               POSITIVIST PHILOS A            1                1896
 COZZENS SE            SOC STUD SCI                  15       127      1985
 DAVIS CC              SCIENCE                      141       308      1963
 DAVIS JA              INT ENCYCL SOC SCI            15       497      1968
 FUNKHOUSER HG         OSIRIS                         3       269      1937
 GIER RN               EXPLAINING SCI COGNI                   190      1988
 GOLINSKI J            MAKING NATURAL KNOWL                   145      1998
 GOODING DC            FARADAY REDISCOVERED                   105      1985
 GOULD SJ              HIDDEN HIST SCI                         39      1995
 GROSS AG              RHETORIC SCI                            74      1990
 HACKING I             REPRESENTING INTERVE                   249      1983
 HAGSTROM WO           CI COMMUNITY                           CH4      1965
 HANKINS TL            ISIS                          90        50      1999
 HANSON N              PATTERNS DISCOVERY                      70      1958
 HARGENS LL            AM SOCIOL REV                 53       139      1988
 HARGENS LL            SOC FORCES                    72      1177      1994
 HAUSER L              LIB INFORMATION SCI            8       367      1986
 HOLMES FL             VALUES PRECISION                       198      1995
 JAKOBOVITS LA         AM PSYCHOL                    22       792      1967
 KNORRCETINA KD        PHILOS SOC SCI                11       335      1981
 KOSSLYN SM            ELEMENTS GRAPH DESIG                            1992
 KROHN R               BIOL PHILOS                    6       181      1991
 LATOUR B              LAB LIFE CONSTRUCTIO                   CH2      1986
 LATOUR B              REPRESENTATION SCI P                    19      1990
 LAUDAN L              PROGR ITS PROBLEMS T                   151      1977
 LODAHL JB             AM SOCIOL REV                 37        57      1972
 LODGE M               MAGNITUDE SCALING QU                   CH2      1981
 LYNCH M               SOC STUD SCI                  15        37      1985
 MACHADO A             J EXPT ANAL BEHAV             70       230      1998
 MACHLUP F             SO EC J                       27       178      1961
 MAHON BH              J ROY STAT SOC A STA         140       298      1977
 MCGUIRE WJ            PSYCHOL SCI CONTRIBU                   230      1989
 MEEHL PE              J CONSULT CLIN PSYCH          46       806      1978
 PPCHU CA              PICTURING SCI PRODUC                            1998
 PRICE DJD             COMMUNICATION SCI EN                     3      1970
 RUDWICK MJS           GREAT DEVONIAN CONTR                            1985
 SMITH LD              IN PRESS AM PSYCHOL
 TOULMIN S             HUMAN UNDERSTANDING                    378      1972
 TUFTE ER              ENVISIONING INFORMAT                            1990
 WAINER H              ANNU REV PSYCHOL              32       191      1981
 WAINER H              EDUC RES                      21        14      1992
 WILKINSON L           AM PSYCHOL                    54       601      1999
 ZUCKERMAN H           SOCIOLOGY SCI                          497      1973

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