Abandoning a Scientific Theory

Example of Modifying a Theory

What is a common practice among researchers when a hypothesis is disconfirmed by new evidence, rather than immediately discarding the original theory?

When a hypothesis is disconfirmed by new observations, it is standard scientific practice to immediately discard the underlying theory entirely.

A researcher finds that their data contradicts their theoretical predictions. Match each research scenario with the appropriate strategy for modifying the theory rather than discarding it.

A social psychologist finds that a theory predicting 'people will help less when in a group' (the Bystander Effect) fails to hold true in high-danger emergencies. Arrange the following steps in the logical order the researcher would take to modify the theory to account for this contradictory evidence.

A psychological theory states that 'Visual Feedback improves motor learning by allowing the brain to correct errors in real-time.' However, a new experiment finds that for tasks requiring extremely high speed, visual feedback actually hinders learning because the brain cannot process the images fast enough. Which of the following represents the most scientifically rigorous creation of a modified theoretical framework to account for this contradiction?

Match each term related to the scientific process of theory refinement with its corresponding definition based on how researchers handle disconfirmed hypotheses.

A researcher decides to modify a scientific theory rather than discard it after a hypothesis is disconfirmed. Arrange the steps of the modification process in the correct logical order.

In the scientific evaluation of a theory that has produced a disconfirmed hypothesis, a researcher who judges the core theory to be 'conditionally valid' rather than 'false' is choosing to refine the theory's _____.

If a researcher obtains contradictory evidence and adjusts their framework to state that a previously proposed cognitive effect only occurs under specific, limited circumstances, they are modifying the theory by adjusting its boundary conditions rather than discarding the theory entirely.

When evaluating a study with contradictory findings, a researcher decides not to discard the underlying theory but instead adjusts the framework to account for the fact that a necessary condition was not met in the sample. By doing so, the researcher is adapting the theory by addressing unmet _____.