Judging competing theoretical accounts by their empirical content and parsimony: Reply to Myrseth and Wollbrant (2015)
Myrseth and Wollbrant (2015) offer an alternative theoretical explanation for our finding that defection entails more cognitive conflict than cooperation (Kieslich and Hilbig, 2014). Although we completely agree that different theoretical explanations for a result are possible, we maintain that the...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press
2015-05-01
|
| Series: | Judgment and Decision Making |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.sjdm.org/14/141214/jdm141214r.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797725088209960960 |
|---|---|
| author | Pascal J. Kieslich Benjamin E. Hilbig |
| author_facet | Pascal J. Kieslich Benjamin E. Hilbig |
| author_sort | Pascal J. Kieslich |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Myrseth and Wollbrant
(2015) offer an alternative theoretical explanation for our finding that
defection entails more cognitive conflict than cooperation (Kieslich and Hilbig,
2014). Although we completely agree that different theoretical explanations for
a result are possible, we maintain that the theoretical approach we tested
(Rand et al., 2014) is parsimonious and falsifiable, excluding certain
plausible results a priori. By comparison, the alternative framework proposed
by Myrseth and Wollbrant requires several debatable assumptions to account for
our findings, rendering it the more complex theory. Besides, their framework as
a whole could have accounted for any possible finding in our experiment, making
it impossible to falsify it with our data. We thus conclude that the notion by
Rand et al.---that there is a spontaneous disposition to cooperate---has more
empirical content while requiring fewer assumptions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T10:25:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d8861c1a195c4f72b75e8e320cff5926 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1930-2975 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T10:25:03Z |
| publishDate | 2015-05-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Judgment and Decision Making |
| spelling | doaj.art-d8861c1a195c4f72b75e8e320cff59262023-09-02T09:48:17ZengCambridge University PressJudgment and Decision Making1930-29752015-05-01103280283Judging competing theoretical accounts by their empirical content and parsimony: Reply to Myrseth and Wollbrant (2015)Pascal J. KieslichBenjamin E. HilbigMyrseth and Wollbrant (2015) offer an alternative theoretical explanation for our finding that defection entails more cognitive conflict than cooperation (Kieslich and Hilbig, 2014). Although we completely agree that different theoretical explanations for a result are possible, we maintain that the theoretical approach we tested (Rand et al., 2014) is parsimonious and falsifiable, excluding certain plausible results a priori. By comparison, the alternative framework proposed by Myrseth and Wollbrant requires several debatable assumptions to account for our findings, rendering it the more complex theory. Besides, their framework as a whole could have accounted for any possible finding in our experiment, making it impossible to falsify it with our data. We thus conclude that the notion by Rand et al.---that there is a spontaneous disposition to cooperate---has more empirical content while requiring fewer assumptions.http://journal.sjdm.org/14/141214/jdm141214r.pdfsocial dilemma cooperation cognitive conflict intuition self-control theory testing empirical content.NAKeywords |
| spellingShingle | Pascal J. Kieslich Benjamin E. Hilbig Judging competing theoretical accounts by their empirical content and parsimony: Reply to Myrseth and Wollbrant (2015) Judgment and Decision Making social dilemma cooperation cognitive conflict intuition self-control theory testing empirical content.NAKeywords |
| title | Judging competing
theoretical accounts by their empirical content and parsimony: Reply to Myrseth
and Wollbrant (2015) |
| title_full | Judging competing
theoretical accounts by their empirical content and parsimony: Reply to Myrseth
and Wollbrant (2015) |
| title_fullStr | Judging competing
theoretical accounts by their empirical content and parsimony: Reply to Myrseth
and Wollbrant (2015) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Judging competing
theoretical accounts by their empirical content and parsimony: Reply to Myrseth
and Wollbrant (2015) |
| title_short | Judging competing
theoretical accounts by their empirical content and parsimony: Reply to Myrseth
and Wollbrant (2015) |
| title_sort | judging competing theoretical accounts by their empirical content and parsimony reply to myrseth and wollbrant 2015 |
| topic | social dilemma cooperation cognitive conflict intuition self-control theory testing empirical content.NAKeywords |
| url | http://journal.sjdm.org/14/141214/jdm141214r.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT pascaljkieslich judgingcompetingtheoreticalaccountsbytheirempiricalcontentandparsimonyreplytomyrsethandwollbrant2015 AT benjaminehilbig judgingcompetingtheoreticalaccountsbytheirempiricalcontentandparsimonyreplytomyrsethandwollbrant2015 |