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According to the scientific process of evaluating and modifying theories, what must researchers eventually do if they are consistently unable to adjust their theories or improve their research designs to account for ongoing failures in prediction?
Question: According to the scientific process of evaluating and modifying theories, what must researchers eventually do if they are consistently unable to adjust their theories or improve their research designs to account for ongoing failures in prediction?
Sample answer: If researchers cannot adjust their theories or improve their research designs to account for ongoing failures in prediction, they cannot ignore the repeated disconfirmations indefinitely. Eventually, they must abandon the weakened theories and replace them with more successful models.
Key points:
- Recall that researchers cannot ignore repeated disconfirmations indefinitely.
- State that theories must be abandoned if researchers cannot adjust the theory or improve research designs to resolve prediction failures.
- State that the weakened theory must be replaced with a more successful model.
Rubric: The response should recall that researchers cannot indefinitely ignore disconfirmations, and if they cannot improve designs or adjust theories to fit failures, they must abandon the weakened theory and replace it with a more successful model.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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