Falsification and experimental psychology
Examples from face perception
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24217588 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sam S Rakover |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 60 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Publication date | 2026-12-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1932-4502 • E-ISSN: 1936-3567 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s12124-026-10024-1 |
| PMID | 42789029 |
| OpenAlex | W7214306967 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 20 |
The present article examines the relationships between the falsification approach as outlined in Popper (1995) and the methodological basis of experimental psychology. In view of this, I will offer suggestions that may reduce somewhat the severity of the following two problems that were raised against Popper approach: The “Duhem problem”, and “contradictory-findings disregard”, i.e., the fact that scientists tend to ignore findings that disconfirm their theory. These suggestions are based on the development of the “temporary closed explanatory domain” (TCED) model, which describes how the research in experimental psychology is carried out. Accordingly, The TCED proposes that a theory T (model, hypothesis) outlines a temporary closed domain for explaining the behavior under study. Two important factors outline the boundaries of TCED in experimental psychology. The first factor includes the variables of the theory itself that are defined operationally, and the experimental framework. The second factor refers to the “basic experimental manipulation” (BEM) that generate the behavior under study, the behavioral phenomenon that T attempts to explain. The article analyzes the Catch model for recognition and reconstruction of faces, as a research in experimental psychology that illustrates well the TCED approach.
Face perception · face recognition (cognition) · Facial reconstruction · falsificationism · Karl popper · Academic and Historical Perspectives in Psychology · Philosophy and History of Science · Philosophy, Science, and History
A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance
Looking at upside-down faces.
On the Failure to Eliminate Hypotheses in a Conceptual Task
The many faces of configural processing
What is the Question Concerning the Rationality of Science
Featural vs. configurational information in faces
Experimental Psychology and Duhem's Problem
| Highly cited | No |
|---|