The General Scientific Principle That Simpler Theories Should Be Preferred

question 17

Multiple Choice

The general scientific principle that simpler theories should be preferred over complex theories unless there is compelling evidence to support a more complex theory leads scientists to favor ______ theories of speech perception.

• A)special-mechanism
• B)general-mechanism
• C)motor
• D)perceptual narrowing

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Definitions:

Operant Conditioning

An educational method where the intensity of an action is altered by either encouraging or penalizing it.

Forgetting

The loss of information from long-term memory, often considered a normal process due to various factors like interference, decay, or retrieval failure.

Classical Conditioning

a learning process that occurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired; a response that is initially elicited by the second stimulus is eventually elicited by the first stimulus alone.

Extinction

In psychology, the gradual weakening and disappearance of a conditioned response when the conditioned stimulus is no longer paired with the unconditioned stimulus.