The Application of Theories in Psychological Research

We've seen what theories are, what they're used for, and how they manifest themselves in psychological research. We'll look closely at how researchers utilize them in this section. We begin with a basic overview of how researchers test and change their theories, and we conclude with some practical suggestions for new researchers interested in incorporating theory into their work.

Introduction

The hypothetico-deductive technique is one of the most common ways scientific researchers employ theories. A researcher starts with a collection of phenomena and either creates or chooses an existing theory to work with to explain or interpret them. If the theory is true, they then offer a prediction regarding a new phenomenon that should be noticed. This prediction is referred to as a hypothesis once again. The theory is subsequently put to the test through an empirical investigation. Finally, they reassess the hypothesis in light of the new findings and, if required, revise it. As shown in Figure 1, this technique works well with the model of scientific research in psychology described previously in the textbook, resulting in a complete model of "theoretically driven" or "practically motivated" research in psychology.

Figure: 1 In psychology, the Hypothetico-Deductive Method is used in conjunction with the General Model of Scientific Research. They provide a paradigm of theoretically driven research when put together as a whole.

Constructing or Choosing a Theory

Constructing hypotheses and proposing research topics is one of the more creative aspects of scientific inquiry. But, like with all creative endeavours, success necessitates planning and hard effort. A researcher must have a solid understanding of the phenomena of interest and any current theories based on a thorough analysis of the literature to create a good theory. The new theory must give a logical explanation or interpretation of the phenomena of interest and some benefits above previous ideas. It might be more formal and hence more exact, have a bigger scope, be more frugal, or adopt a novel perspective or theoretical approach. If no theory exists, practically every hypothesis can be a start in the right direction.

Deriving Hypotheses

A hypothesis, once again, is a prediction about a novel phenomenon that should be noticed if a theory is correct. This if-then link is always present in theories and hypotheses. "If drive theory is right, when additional cockroaches are present, cockroaches should travel faster down a straight runway and slow down a branching runway." Despite the fact that hypotheses are typically given as assertions, they may always be rephrased as questions. "Do cockroaches run faster along a straight runway when there are additional cockroaches?" As a result, developing hypotheses from theories is a great technique for coming up with new research topics. Participants who remembered fewer instances were assessed to be more forceful, providing compelling evidence favouring the ease-of-retrieval hypothesis over the number-of-examples argument.

Evaluating and Revising Theories

A theory is reinforced when a hypothesis is validated in a thorough empirical examination. Not only did the theory make an accurate prediction, but it also now accounts for a novel phenomenon. The theory has been weakened if a hypothesis is disproven in a comprehensive empirical examination, and it made an incorrect forecast, and now there is a new phenomenon that it cannot explain.

Although this adjustment appears to be simple, there are a few problems. To begin with, verifying a hypothesis can help to strengthen a theory, but it will never prove it. While discussing and writing about hypotheses, scientists tend to avoid using the word "proof." One explanation for this aversion is that several viable theories may entail the same premise; therefore, verifying it strengthens all of them equally. Another argument is that another test of the hypothesis, or a test of a new hypothesis developed from the theory, might always be negative. This topic is a spin-off of the well-known philosophical "problem of induction." A general principle (e.g., "All swans are white.") cannot be proved definitely by witnessing confirming examples (e.g., white swans)—no matter how many there are. It's always conceivable that a contradictory situation (such as a black swan) may emerge at some point. As a result, scientists consider hypotheses, even the most successful ones, to be vulnerable to change based on new and unexpected findings.

Incorporating Theory into Your Research

This chapter has demonstrated that theories are more than "icing on the cake" in scientific investigation; they are a necessary component. You will be much more effective at reading and interpreting research literature, formulating fascinating research questions, and writing and communicating about research if you can understand and use them. Of course, practice will help you better grasp and apply ideas. However, there are some things you can do right away to incorporate theory into your study.

The first step is to separate the phenomena you're interested in from any hypotheses that may explain them. Be wary of the temptation to "fuse" phenomena with a commonplace explanation. "Cell phone usage distracts individuals from driving," for example, would be an attractive way to express the detrimental impact of cell phone usage on driving ability. "Dealing with your emotions via writing makes you healthier," for example, maybe a tempting way to communicate the positive influence of expressive writing on health. However, a hazy conventional explanation (distraction, "dealing with" emotions) has been grafted onto each case's event. The issue is that this conflation provides the idea that the phenomena have previously been thoroughly explained, which is not the case.

Conclusion

Using theories in your study will not only help you come up with experiment ideas and potential projects, but it will also give your work credibility. Psychologists have studied a wide range of human behaviour and generated several hypotheses. Using previous theories can help you break new ground as a researcher, not limit your ability to build your ideas.