An attempt to interpret some problems in measurement science on the basis of Kuhn's theory of paradigms

In order to contribute to the debate on the nature of measurement science, we try to interpret some trends in the historical development of this discipline, on the basis of Kuhn's epistemology. In particular, we identify two main reference paradigms that seem to have influenced the approach to some relevant problems in measurement science, which we call instrumental and informational respectively. Although they have historically emerged in opposition one to the other, careful investigation shows that, on the contrary, they seem to be complementary in nature. So there may be room for a third, alternative, paradigm, simply resulting from their integration. This seems to be a perspective which provides a satisfactory approach to some fundamental problems in measurement science, including the key issue of the measurement model, and the pursuit of closer links between measurement in physical and in behavioural sciences. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.