ABSTRACT
Frequently the expression psychological explanation is used as a catch-all term denoting any attempt to understand phenomena related to intelligent behavior. The philosophy of psychology would benet from a more precise analytical conception of what constitutes explanation in psychology. The approach we take in this chapter focuses on what sort of explanatory practices are distinctive of experimental or scientic psychology. By noting three prototypical examples from diverse subelds of experimental psychology, we hope to provide a context for further analytical discussion. These examples point toward two very different models of explanation, which have also been discussed in the broader context of philosophy of science – namely, nomological explanation and mechanistic explanation. Two initial questions are therefore pertinent:
• To what extent are laws needed in explanations in psychology? • What do psychologists have in mind when they appeal to mechanisms in
explanation?
