Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
The reply clarifies the misunderstanding about vagueness and its relation to psychological concepts, highlighting the need for clarity.
In our recent article, we argued that psychological concepts are inherently vague and that this vagueness cannot be circumvented. While the commentary by Ng and Litson (2026) raises important issues, it rests on a misinterpretation of our central claim. Here, we clarify our position by distinguishing vagueness from arbitrariness, imprecision, and ambiguity and explain why there is no contradiction between accepting the vagueness of psychological concepts and striving for greater conceptual clarity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Fabian Hutmacher (2026) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: