Kathryn S. Plaisance- PhD
- Professor (Full) at University of Waterloo
Kathryn S. Plaisance
- PhD
- Professor (Full) at University of Waterloo
About
15
Publications
2,793
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201
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Introduction
Kathryn (Katie) Plaisance is an Associate Professor in Knowledge Integration at the University of Waterloo, cross-appointed to the Departments of Philosophy and Psychology. Katie does research in Philosophy of Science, Social Epistemology, Human Behavioral Genetics, and Interdisciplinary Collaboration. She is currently holds a SSHRC Insight Grant (2020-26) to study and foster collaborations between philosophers and STEM researchers.
Current institution
Additional affiliations
June 2016 - present
January 2007 - June 2009
July 2009 - June 2016
Education
September 2001 - December 2006
September 1996 - May 2000
Publications
Publications (15)
This paper provides an argument for a more socially relevant philosophy of science (SRPOS). Our aims in this paper are to
characterize this body of work in philosophy of science, to argue for its importance, and to demonstrate that there are significant
opportunities for philosophy of science to engage with and support this type of research. The im...
The concept of interactional expertise – characterized by sociologists Harry Collins and Robert Evans as the ability to speak the language of a discipline without the corresponding ability to practice – can serve as a powerful way of breaking down expert/non-expert dichotomies and providing a role for new voices in specialist communities. However,...
Two fundamentally different perspectives on knowledge diffusion dominate debates about academic disciplines. On the one hand, critics of disciplinary research and education have argued that disciplines are isolated silos, within which specialists pursue inward-looking and increasingly narrow research agendas. On the other hand, critics of the silo...
Behavioral genetic (BG) research has yielded many important discoveries about the origins of human behavior, but offers little insight into how we might improve outcomes. We posit that this gap in our knowledge base stems in part from the epidemiologic nature of BG research questions. Namely, BG studies focus on understanding etiology as it current...
Philosophers of science are increasingly arguing for the importance of doing scientifically- and socially-engaged work, suggesting that we need to reduce barriers to extra-disciplinary engagement and broaden our impact. Yet, we currently lack empirical data to inform these discussions, leaving a number of important questions unanswered. How common...
The ability to work well in a team is becoming increasingly important across disciplines and throughout the workplace, making it a valuable skill for students to develop. Evidence suggests that diverse perspectives can generate more innovative ideas and enhance critical thinking, but only if team members value diversity and share knowledge with one...
Philosophy of science has the potential to enhance scientific practice, science policy, and science education; moreover, recent research indicates that many philosophers of science think we ought to increase the broader impacts of our work. Yet, there is little to no empirical data on how we are supposed to have an impact. To address this problem,...
Mindset interventions are designed to encourage students to adopt a growth mindset, reflecting the belief that one's intelligence can be improved in an effort to increase academic achievement. How do these interventions exert their effects? We assessed the effects of an online mindset intervention on mindset and four outcome variables, grit, locus...
Philosophers of science are increasingly arguing for and addressing the need to do work that is socially and scientifically engaged. However, we currently lack well-developed frameworks for thinking about how we should engage other expert communities and what the epistemic benefits are of doing so. In this paper, I draw on Collins and Evans' concep...
Philosophers of science are increasingly interested in engaging with scientific communities, policymakers, and members of the public; however, the nature of this engagement has not been systematically examined. Instead of delineating a specific kind of engaged philosophy of science, as previous accounts have done, this paper draws on literature fro...
A number of debates in philosophy of biology and psychology, as well as in their
respective sciences, hinge on particular views about the relationship between genotypes
and phenotypes. One such view is that the genotype-phenotype relationship is relatively
straightforward, in the sense that a genome contains the ‘‘genes for’’ the various traits
tha...
This volume offers a broad overview of central issues in the philosophy of behavioral biology, addressing philosophical issues
that arise from the most recent scientific findings in biological research on behavior. It thus exemplifies an approach to
philosophy of science that is scientifically informed as well as interdisciplinary. Accordingly, it...
This volume provides a broad overview of issues in the philosophy of behavioral biology, covering four main themes: genetic, developmental, evolutionary, and neurobiological explanations of behavior. It is both interdisciplinary and empirically informed in its approach, addressing philosophical issues that arise from recent scientific findings in b...
