Example of Modifying a Theory
To illustrate how a theory can be updated rather than discarded, consider Robert Zajonc's work on social facilitation. Had Zajonc not observed social facilitation in cockroaches, he might not have rejected drive theory altogether. Instead, he could have adjusted the theory by adding a boundary condition, proposing that drive theory is valid but only applicable to organisms with highly developed nervous systems.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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Social Inhibition
Example of an 'If-Then' Hypothesis: Cockroach Study
Example of Modifying a Theory
Zajonc's Cockroach Study on Drive Theory
Social Facilitation
According to Zajonc's drive theory, how does the physiological arousal triggered by an audience affect an individual's performance?
According to Zajonc's drive theory, arrange the following steps in the correct causal order to explain how social presence influences task performance.
A researcher is observing participants as they attempt to solve a complex, unfamiliar logic puzzle for the first time. Based on Zajonc’s Drive Theory, the researcher should expect these participants to solve the puzzle more accurately when being observed than when working alone.
Zajonc's drive theory explains human performance by connecting social presence to internal mechanisms. Match each theoretical component with its specific functional role in this explanatory system.
Zajonc's Drive Theory explains the effects of an audience by proposing a causal chain. Which of the following best describes the role of 'physiological arousal' in this chain?
According to Zajonc's drive theory, the state of physiological arousal triggered by an audience increases the probability that an individual will perform their _____ response.
If a researcher finds that the presence of an audience significantly improves the performance of a beginner on a complex and unfamiliar task, this specific result would be evaluated as _____ with the core predictions of Zajonc's Drive Theory.
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 _____.
Learn After
If a researcher finds that their theory of social facilitation works for humans but fails to explain behavior in cockroaches, which action would demonstrate 'modifying' the theory rather than discarding it?
A psychology researcher’s theory predicts that 'Listening to classical music always improves concentration.' However, a new study reveals that for individuals with high musical expertise, the music actually decreases concentration. Match each potential research response to the correct scientific strategy for addressing this new evidence.
A researcher finds that a theory of social facilitation correctly predicts behavior in humans but fails when tested with cockroaches. Arrange the following steps to show how the researcher would logically modify the theory through the addition of a boundary condition rather than discarding it.
When a researcher observes that a theory of social facilitation fails to explain behavior in a specific population like cockroaches, adding a 'boundary condition' to limit the theory's scope is a scientifically sound way to evaluate its utility, rather than an improper attempt to protect a failing theory.
A researcher is tasked with formulating a modified version of a theory which predicted that the presence of others always increases an organism's drive. After discovering that this effect does not occur in cockroaches, which of the following newly constructed theoretical statements represents the most scientifically sound way to create a revision using a 'boundary condition'?
Proposing that a theory of social facilitation is valid but only applicable to organisms with highly developed nervous systems is an example of discarding the theory.
Rather than discarding a theory of social facilitation after observing the phenomenon in cockroaches, a researcher could modify the theory by adding a _____, proposing that the theory is valid but only applicable to organisms with highly developed nervous systems.
Apply the logic of boundary conditions to the following scenarios involving drive theory and social facilitation. Match each research outcome to the most appropriate theoretical response.
When Zajonc proposed that drive theory is valid but applies only to organisms with highly developed nervous systems, this boundary condition works logically by diagnosing the problem as one of _____ in the original theory's domain—claiming too wide a range of applicability—rather than as a fundamental error in the theory's core drive mechanism.
A researcher has proposed adding a boundary condition to drive theory—restricting it to organisms with highly developed nervous systems—after observing that social facilitation does not occur in cockroaches. Order the following evaluative steps from the one that should be completed FIRST (1) to the one completed LAST (5) when judging whether this modification is scientifically sound.
Based on the example of Robert Zajonc's work on social facilitation, explain how a researcher can update rather than completely discard a theory when faced with contradictory findings. Specifically, identify what adjustment Zajonc could have made to drive theory if he had failed to observe social facilitation in cockroaches.
Using the concept of theory modification as demonstrated by Robert Zajonc's work on social facilitation and drive theory, diagnose how the research team can address this failure without discarding the theory. What specific adjustment should they propose, and how does this decision affect the validity of the original theory?
Suppose you are testing a theory of sensory processing and discover that it accurately explains behavior in humans but fails in nematode worms. In 1 to 3 sentences, apply the logic of Zajonc's drive theory modification to write an updated statement of this sensory theory that incorporates an appropriate boundary condition.