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?
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.