An intermediate category between description and explanation consisting of two parts. They can explain what something is like (e.g., what the reaching movements of a newborn look like relative to a three-month-old). In addition, they can explain a process: how something occurred in terms of events before and after its occurrence (e.g., after being placed in a semi-upright position when in an appropriate state, the newborn reached for a suspended object, but did not grasp it). Both ‘what’ and ‘how’ descriptions are essential steps in providing a scientific explanation that is based on the reason-seeking question ‘why’.
See Description, Explanation, Process