Chapter 2 Flashcards
a plausible or scientifically acceptable, well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world
an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena and predict the characteristics of as yet unobserved phenomena.
theory
theory
a plausible or scientifically acceptable, well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world
an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena and predict the characteristics of as yet unobserved phenomena.
“a tentative explanation for an observation, phenomenon, or scientific problem that can be tested by further investigation.
hypothesis
hypothesis
“a tentative explanation for an observation, phenomenon, or scientific problem that can be tested by further investigation.
_____ are more complex than _________
theories, hypotheses
What gets misused as hypothesize?
prediction
A theory that has been substantially verified
law
law
A theory that has been substantially verified
the relative rate of responding on a key will match the relative rate of reinforcement
matching law
matching law
the relative rate of responding on a key will match the relative rate of reinforcement
The matching law describes how behavior is allocated among alternatives; it does not ________ why matching occurs
explain
to fix this issue, you need a theory
a specific implementation of a more general theoretical view
model
Rescorla-Wagner: went deeper with classical conditioning
model
a specific implementation of a more general theoretical view
Rescorla-Wagner
computer model
a set of program statements that define the variables to be considered and the ways in which their values will change over the course of time or trials
a set of program statements that define the variables to be considered and the ways in which their values will change over the course of time or trials
computer model
five advantages of computer model
1) the process may reveal inconsistencies, unspoken assumptions, or other defects in the theory
2) eliminates ambiguity
3) show what is to be expected under specified conditions
4) the behavior of the model can be compared with the behavior of real people or animals under actual conditions to see if the model is accurate
5) competing theories can be evaluated by building computer models based on each and then determining which model does a better job
describes the mechanism (physical components) and the chain of cause and effect through which conditions act on the mechanism to produce its behavior;
it describes how something works.
mechanistic explanation
mechanistic explanation
describes the mechanism (physical components) and the chain of cause and effect through which conditions act on the mechanism to produce its behavior; it describes how something works.
describes an attribute of something (such as physical attractiveness) in terms of its function—that is, what it does (e.g., in women, beauty signals reproductive health, according to evolutionary psychologists);
it describes why the attribute or system exists.
functional explanation
functional explanation
describes an attribute of something (such as physical attractiveness) in terms of its function—that is, what it does (e.g., in women, beauty signals reproductive health, according to evolutionary psychologists); it describes why the attribute or system exists.
__________ ________ tell you how a system works without necessarily telling you why it does what it does; _________ _______ refer to the purpose or goal of a given attribute or system without describing how those purposes or goals are achieved.
mechanistic explanation, functional explanations
Between the two explanations, which one should I prefer?
mechanistic
because you know how it works which is more beneficial than knowing why it exists
What are the three classifications of theories?
1) Quantitative or qualitative
2) level of description
3) scope of the theory
defines the relationships between its variables and constants in a set of mathematical formulas
quantitative theory
quantitative theory
defines the relationships between its variables and constants in a set of mathematical formulas
any theory that is not quantitative
qualitative theory
qualitative theory
any theory that is not quantitative
What are the three levels of description?
descriptive, analogical, fundamental
a theory that merely describes a relationship
descriptive theory
most of these are simply proposed generalizations from observation
descriptive theory
a theory that merely describes a relationship
explains a relationship through analogy
analogical theory
ex) Lorenz chicken explain by water pressure tank
analogical theory
explains a relationship through analogy
a theory that proposes a new structure or underlying process to explain how variables and constants relate
fundamental theory
ex: cognitive dissonance theory, Festinger
fundamental theory
a theory that proposes a new structure or underlying process to explain how variables and constants relate
Which level of description is rare in psychology?
fundamental
partly because it’s a new science
the range of situations to which a theory applies
domain
aka scope
domain
the range of situations to which a theory applies
aka scope
What are the roles of theory?
understanding
prediction
organizing and interpreting research results
generating research
What are the characteristics of a good theory?
Ability to account for data Explanatory relevance Testability Prediction of novel events Parsimony
What are the strategies for testing theories?
Following a conformational strategy
Following a disconfirmational strategy
Strong inference
a strategy of looking for confirmation of the theory’s predictions
conformational strategy
conformational strategy
a strategy of looking for confirmation of the theory’s predictions
a method of testing a theory that involves conducting research to provide evidence that disconfirms the predictions made by the theory
disconfirmational strategy
disconfirmational strategy
a method of testing a theory that involves conducting research to provide evidence that disconfirms the predictions made by the theory
a strategy for testing a theory in which a sequence of research studies is systematically carried out to rule out alternative explanations for a phenomenon
strong inference
strong inference
a strategy for testing a theory in which a sequence of research studies is systematically carried out to rule out alternative explanations for a phenomenon
