risky prediction

a prediction made on the basis of a scientific hypothesis that has a real possibility of proving that hypothesis wrong. According to Austrian-born British philosopher Karl Popper (1902–1994), certain ostensibly scientific theories and hypotheses, including many in psychology, can be stretched in order to explain a range of possible experimental results. To the extent that this can occur, the theory or hypothesis is not genuinely falsifiable and thus not genuinely scientific. Popper held that scientific theories must be tested by means of risky predictions. See falsifiability; falsificationism.

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Psychology term of the day

May 8th 2024

divergent thinking

creative thinking in which an individual solves a problem or reaches a decision using strategies that deviate from commonly used or previously taught strategies. This term is often used synonymously with lateral thinking. Compare convergent thinking. [defined in 1967 by Joy Paul Guilford]