On Avoiding Research into the Blindingly Obvious

Empirical research in certain areas of environmental design and behavioural studies is faced with a credibility dilemma. This is because its area of investigation overlaps with public and professional experience but does not formally or adequately acknowledge this experience in its methodology. As a consequence many research outcomes while evidence based can often be blindingly obvious. An attempt is made here to provide a philosophical framework to avoid this dilemma. This is the empirical constructivist position of Bas van Fraassen coupled with a Bayesian approach to hypothesis testing. It is argued that this framework has theoretical and pragmatic benefits for examining inter relationships between outcomes from quantitative and qualitative methodologies.