Hypothesis-Testing Behaviour Contributor(s): Poletiek, Fenna H. (Author) |
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ISBN: 1841691593 ISBN-13: 9781841691596 Publisher: Psychology Press OUR PRICE: $49.39 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: December 2000 Annotation: How do people search evidence for a hypothesis? A well documented answer in cognitive psychology is that they search for confirming evidence. However, the rational strategy is to try to falsify the hypothesis. This book critically evaluates this contradiction. Experimental research is discussed against the background of philosophical and formal theories of hypothesis testing with striking results: Falsificationism and verificationism - the two main rival philosophies of testing - come down to one and the same principle for concrete testing behavior, eluding the contrast between rational falsification and confirmation bias. Against this background the author proposes a new perspective for describing hypothesis testing behavior - the probability-value model - which unifies the contrasting views. According to this model, hypothesis testers pragmatically consider what evidence and how much evidence will convince them to reject or accept the hypothesis. Possible future research and applications of the ideas advanced are discussed, such as the potential modeling of expert hypothesis testing. |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Psychology | Cognitive Psychology & Cognition - Psychology | Research & Methodology - Medical | Mental Health |
Dewey: 153.43 |
LCCN: 00059070 |
Series: Essays in Cognitive Psychology |
Physical Information: 0.73" H x 6.38" W x 9.49" (0.88 lbs) 182 pages |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: How do people search evidence for a hypothesis? A well documented answer in cognitive psychology is that they search for confirming evidence. However, the rational strategy is to try to falsify the hypothesis. This book critically evaluates this contradiction. Experimental research is discussed against the background of philosophical and formal theories of hypothesis testing with striking results: Falsificationism and verificationism - the two main rival philosophies of testing - come down to one and the same principle for concrete testing behaviour, eluding the contrast between rational falsification and confirmation bias. |