Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

34 Chapter 
2 
Psychological Research
Theories: Specifying Broad 
Explanations
In using the scientifi c method, psychologists start by identifying questions of inter-
est. We have all been curious at some time about our observations of everyday 
behavior. If you have ever asked yourself why a particular teacher is so easily 
annoyed, why a friend is always late for appointments, or how your dog under-
stands your commands, you have been formulating questions about behavior. 
Psychologists, too, ask questions about the nature and causes of behavior. They 
may wish to explore explanations for everyday behaviors or for various phenomena. 
They may also pose questions that build on fi ndings from their previous research or 
from research carried out by other psychologists. Or they may produce new ques-
tions that are based on curiosity, creativity, or insight. 
Once a question has been identifi ed, the next step in the scientifi c method is to 
develop a theory to explain the observed phenomenon.
Theories
are broad explanations 
and predictions concerning phenomena of interest. They provide a framework for under-
standing the relationships among a set of otherwise unorganized facts or principles.
All of us have developed our own informal theories of human behavior, such as 
“People are basically good” or “People’s behavior is usually motivated by self-interest.” 
However, psychologists’ theories are more formal and focused. They are established 
on the basis of a careful study of the psychological literature to identify earlier rel-
evant research and previously formulated theories, as well as psychologists’ general 
knowledge of the fi eld. 
Growing out of the diverse approaches employed by psychologists, theories 
vary both in their breadth and in their level of detail. For example, one theory might 
seek to explain and predict a phenomenon as broad as emotional experience. A 
narrower theory might attempt to explain why people display the emotion of fear 
nonverbally after receiving a threat (Guerrero, La Valley, & Farinelli, 2008; Waller, 
Cray, & Burrows, 2008). 
Psychologists Bibb Latané and John Darley, responding to the failure of bystand-
ers to intervene when Kitty Genovese was murdered in New York, developed what 
theories 
Broad explanations and 
predictions concerning phenomena 
of interest.
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