Chapter 2

Question 1

a plausible or scientifically acceptable, well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world

an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena and predict the characteristics of as yet unobserved phenomena.

Answer 1

theory

Question 2

theory

Answer 2

a plausible or scientifically acceptable, well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world

an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena and predict the characteristics of as yet unobserved phenomena.

Question 3

“a tentative explanation for an observation, phenomenon, or scientific problem that can be tested by further investigation.

Answer 3

hypothesis

Question 4

hypothesis

Answer 4

“a tentative explanation for an observation, phenomenon, or scientific problem that can be tested by further investigation.

Question 5

_____ are more complex than _________

Answer 5

theories, hypotheses

Question 6

What gets misused as hypothesize?

Answer 6

prediction

Question 7

A theory that has been substantially verified

Answer 7

law

Question 8

law

Answer 8

A theory that has been substantially verified

Question 9

the relative rate of responding on a key will match the relative rate of reinforcement

Answer 9

matching law

Question 10

matching law

Answer 10

the relative rate of responding on a key will match the relative rate of reinforcement

Question 11

The matching law describes how behavior is allocated among alternatives; it does not ________ why matching occurs

Answer 11

explain

to fix this issue, you need a theory

Question 12

a specific implementation of a more general theoretical view

Answer 12

model

Rescorla-Wagner: went deeper with classical conditioning

Question 13

model

Answer 13

a specific implementation of a more general theoretical view

Rescorla-Wagner

Question 14

computer model

Answer 14

a set of program statements that define the variables to be considered and the ways in which their values will change over the course of time or trials

Question 15

a set of program statements that define the variables to be considered and the ways in which their values will change over the course of time or trials

Answer 15

computer model

Question 16

five advantages of computer model

Answer 16

1) the process may reveal inconsistencies, unspoken assumptions, or other defects in the theory
2) eliminates ambiguity
3) show what is to be expected under specified conditions
4) the behavior of the model can be compared with the behavior of real people or animals under actual conditions to see if the model is accurate
5) competing theories can be evaluated by building computer models based on each and then determining which model does a better job

Question 17

describes the mechanism (physical components) and the chain of cause and effect through which conditions act on the mechanism to produce its behavior;

it describes how something works.

Answer 17

mechanistic explanation

Question 18

mechanistic explanation

Answer 18

describes the mechanism (physical components) and the chain of cause and effect through which conditions act on the mechanism to produce its behavior; it describes how something works.

Question 19

describes an attribute of something (such as physical attractiveness) in terms of its function—that is, what it does (e.g., in women, beauty signals reproductive health, according to evolutionary psychologists);

it describes why the attribute or system exists.

Answer 19

functional explanation

Question 20

functional explanation

Answer 20

describes an attribute of something (such as physical attractiveness) in terms of its function—that is, what it does (e.g., in women, beauty signals reproductive health, according to evolutionary psychologists); it describes why the attribute or system exists.

Question 21

__________ ________ tell you how a system works without necessarily telling you why it does what it does; _________ _______ refer to the purpose or goal of a given attribute or system without describing how those purposes or goals are achieved.

Answer 21

mechanistic explanation, functional explanations

Question 22

Between the two explanations, which one should I prefer?

Answer 22

mechanistic

because you know how it works which is more beneficial than knowing why it exists

Question 23

What are the three classifications of theories?

Answer 23

1) Quantitative or qualitative
2) level of description
3) scope of the theory

Question 24

defines the relationships between its variables and constants in a set of mathematical formulas

Answer 24

quantitative theory

Question 25

quantitative theory

Answer 25

defines the relationships between its variables and constants in a set of mathematical formulas

Question 26

any theory that is not quantitative

Answer 26

qualitative theory

Question 27

qualitative theory

Answer 27

any theory that is not quantitative

Question 28

What are the three levels of description?

Answer 28

descriptive, analogical, fundamental

Question 29

a theory that merely describes a relationship

Answer 29

descriptive theory

most of these are simply proposed generalizations from observation

Question 30

descriptive theory

Answer 30

a theory that merely describes a relationship

Question 31

explains a relationship through analogy

Answer 31

analogical theory

ex) Lorenz chicken explain by water pressure tank

Question 32

analogical theory

Answer 32

explains a relationship through analogy

Question 33

a theory that proposes a new structure or underlying process to explain how variables and constants relate

Answer 33

fundamental theory

ex: cognitive dissonance theory, Festinger

Question 34

fundamental theory

Answer 34

a theory that proposes a new structure or underlying process to explain how variables and constants relate

Question 35

Which level of description is rare in psychology?

Answer 35

fundamental

partly because it’s a new science

Question 36

the range of situations to which a theory applies

Answer 36

domain

aka scope

Question 37

domain

Answer 37

the range of situations to which a theory applies

aka scope

Question 38

What are the roles of theory?

Answer 38

understanding
prediction
organizing and interpreting research results
generating research

Question 39

What are the characteristics of a good theory?

Answer 39

Ability to account for data
Explanatory relevance
Testability
Prediction of novel events
Parsimony

Question 40

What are the strategies for testing theories?

Answer 40

Following a conformational strategy

Following a disconfirmational strategy

Strong inference

Question 41

a strategy of looking for confirmation of the theory’s predictions

Answer 41

conformational strategy

Question 42

conformational strategy

Answer 42

a strategy of looking for confirmation of the theory’s predictions

Question 43

a method of testing a theory that involves conducting research to provide evidence that disconfirms the predictions made by the theory

Answer 43

disconfirmational strategy

Question 44

disconfirmational strategy

Answer 44

a method of testing a theory that involves conducting research to provide evidence that disconfirms the predictions made by the theory

Question 45

a strategy for testing a theory in which a sequence of research studies is systematically carried out to rule out alternative explanations for a phenomenon

Answer 45

strong inference

Question 46

strong inference

Answer 46

a strategy for testing a theory in which a sequence of research studies is systematically carried out to rule out alternative explanations for a phenomenon