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Imagine you are a researcher studying memory and you are beginning with a broad, well-established theory that 'distributed practice leads to better long-term retention than massed practice.' Briefly describe how you would apply deductive reasoning to generate a logically sound hypothesis for a new experiment.
Question: Imagine you are a researcher studying memory and you are beginning with a broad, well-established theory that 'distributed practice leads to better long-term retention than massed practice.' Briefly describe how you would apply deductive reasoning to generate a logically sound hypothesis for a new experiment.
Sample answer: To apply deductive reasoning, I would use the broad, existing theory of distributed practice to derive a specific, testable prediction. For example, my logically sound hypothesis would be that students who study a vocabulary list for 20 minutes a day over three days will score higher on a recall test than students who study the same list for 60 minutes in a single session.
Key points:
- Starts with the broader existing theory.
- Uses the theory to derive a specific, concrete prediction.
- Ensures the generated hypothesis is testable.
Rubric: Full credit is awarded for describing how to move from the broad, provided theory to a specific, testable prediction.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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Imagine you are a researcher studying memory and you are beginning with a broad, well-established theory that 'distributed practice leads to better long-term retention than massed practice.' Briefly describe how you would apply deductive reasoning to generate a logically sound hypothesis for a new experiment.