1. Developing Ideas for Research and Evaluating Theories of Behavior
Chapter 2
Developing Ideas for Research and Evaluating Theories of Behavior

2. Part I: Developing a Good Research Idea
Sources of Research Ideas
Experience
Unsystematic Observation
Systematic Observation
Theory
Applied Issues

3. Sources of Research Ideas
Experience
Unsystematic Observation
Observation of everyday behavior
Observation of animal behavior
Good way to discover a general research idea
Systematic Observation
Focused observation of real world behavior
Published research reports
Your own previous or ongoing research
Peruse Internet research

4. Theory (a set of assumptions about the causes of behavior and rules that specify how those causes act)
Predictions of behavior occurring under new combinations of variables (see next slide for example)
Two theories make competing predictions about behavior
Research can determine which competing prediction is most valid
Applied Issues
The need to solve practical problems

5. Example of Theory Driven Research Question
Terror Management Theory
Humans live in an unpredictable and uncertain world & existence could end at any time.
Awareness brings about “terror”.
We must develop strategies to cope.
Cultures provide terror shields that buffer us.
Authors test relationship commitment (pg32)

6. Part II: Developing Good Research Questions
Ask ANSWERABLE QUESTIONS
Research ideas must be framed as answerable questions
Research ideas must be translated into a set of testable predictions
Ask the RIGHT QUESTIONS
You must be able to address your questions with scientific methods
You must be able to address your questions with empirical observation

7. Ask IMPORTANT QUESTIONS
Questions must justify the expense and time involved in doing the research
Important questions clarify theoretical or empirical issues or address important practical issues

8. Part III: Scientific Theories
A theory is a partially verified statement of a scientific relationship that cannot be directly observed. Characteristics include the following:
It describes a scientific relationship (one established through observation and logic) that indicates how variables interact within the system to which the theory applies.
The described relationship cannot be observed directly. Its existence must be inferred from the data.
The statement is only partially verified. It has past some tests but not all relevant tests have been done.

9. Scientific Theory Cont…
Theory vs. hypothesis
Two concepts often confused
Theory is more complex (multiple variables)
A hypothesis is more simple (one variable)
Theory vs. law
A law is a theory that has been substantially verified empirically

10. Theory vs. model Model often used as a synonym for theory
A model may be a specific implementation of a general theory
A model may represent an application of a general theory to a specific situation
A computer model is a program that defines variables and how the variables change over time or trials

11. Classifications of Theory
Quantitative or Qualitative Aspect
Level of Description
Descriptive
Analogical
Fundamental
Domain of Theory

12. Classifications of Theory Cont…
Quantitative Theory
Theory expressed in mathematical terms
Relates numerical values of variables to one another
Predicted outcomes expressed numerically
Qualitative Theory
Theory that states relationships between variables in verbal rather than mathematical terms

13. Descriptive Theory Analogical Theory Fundamental Theory
Theory that merely describes the relationships among variables
Analogical Theory
Theory that explains the relationships among variables through analogy to some well-understood model
Fundamental Theory
Theory that proposes a new structure to explain the relationships among variables
Highest level of theory

14. Part IV: Roles of Theory in Science
Understanding
Highest role in science
Theory helps you understand phenomena better
Prediction
Theory provides predictions about behavior under varying circumstances
Predictions are tested empirically

15. Organizing and Interpreting Research Results
A theory provides a framework for understanding research
Research results can be interpreted based on a theory
Generating Research
A theory is a source for new research ideas
Known as the heuristic value of a theory
A theory can be wrong, but still have heuristic value

16. Characteristics of a Good Theory
Ability to Account for Data
Theory must account for existing data and well-established facts within its domain
Explanatory Relevance
Theoretical explanation must offer good grounds for believing that the phenomenon would occur under specified conditions
Testability
A theory must be testable.
It must be capable of failing some empirical test.

17. Prediction of Novel Events
A theory should predict phenomena that the theory was not specifically designed to account for but that are within its domain
Parsimony
A theory should explain phenomena within its domain with the fewest possible assumptions

18. Strategies for Testing Theories
Confirmational Strategy
Look for evidence to confirm predictions from a theory
Important part of theory testing, but has limits
Confirmation does not prove a theory is correct
Confirmation may occur when predictions are too loosely defined
Disconfirmational Strategy
Using a positive research result to disconfirm a theory’s predictions
The two strategies should be used together to test theories

19. Strong Inference
Theory is tested and modified based on outcome of research and then tested again
Cycle of testing and modification continues until theory adequately accounts for behavior
Several alternative explanations can be tested with an experiment
Some alternatives will be ruled out
New experiment tests remaining alternatives
Strong inference works only when alternative explanations generate well-defined predictions

20. Theory Driven vs. Data Driven Research
The quest for theories of learning once drove psychological research
Learning theories became very complex
Researchers began to question whether the time was right for grand theories
Some researchers (e.g., Skinner) argued for an a theoretical approach to research
Research should focus on functional relationships among variables