Observational vs Empirical - What's the difference?
observational | empirical |
(science) Based on or pertaining to scientific observation.
*
Pertaining to observation in general.
Pertaining to or based on experience.
* H. Spencer
Pertaining to, derived from, or testable by observations made using the physical senses or using instruments which extend the senses.
(philosophy of science) Verifiable by means of scientific experimentation.
As adjectives the difference between observational and empirical
is that observational is (science) based on or pertaining to scientific observation while empirical is pertaining to or based on experience.observational
English
Adjective
(en adjective)- An alternative way of defending the proposal to conflate NP MOVEMENT with XP MOVEMENT would be to question the observational adequacy of the claim that NP MOVEMENT only ever has NP constituents as its target. Sentences such as the following (from Radford (1981), p. 210) might be used to support the claim that NP MOVEMENT can indeed ‘raise? constituents other than NP:
(23) (a) [AP Rather plump''] seems — to be how he likes his girlfriends
(23) (b) [PP ''In Paris''] seems — to be where they first met
(23) (c) [ADVP ''A little too casually''] seems — to have been how he addressed the judge
(23) (d) [CP ''For the Prime Minister to resign ] would seem — to be unthinkable
empirical
English
Adjective
(-)- The village carpenter lays out his work by empirical rules learnt in his apprenticeship.