ABSTRACT
Some philosophers have regarded methodology as a specific branch of the philosophy of science which is concerned inter alia with the nature of scientific explanation or the status of scientific theories. Many psychologists now use the term 'methodology' to refer to the methods that they prefer to use in undertaking empirical research. The methodological issue thus turns partly on the defining criteria of necessity and partly on the permissible methods to use in empirical research that is directed towards the acquisition of such knowledge. Piaget's position is that a critical method must be used to gain adequate evidence about children's acquisition of knowledge. A critical method is conceived to be an intermediary between unguided observations and standardised testing. Its principal feature is to allow children to display the reasoning behind their actions and beliefs. Using normative rationality as the standard, only the latter could meet the standards whereby an individual can reason productively and deductively in the absence of self-contradiction.
