Question

Deci and Ryan (1985, 2001) have proposed that there are three fundamental needs that are required for human growth and fulfillment: relatedness, autonomy, and competence. Susan predicts that students who have these needs met in their psychology class feel happier and more satisfied with the class. She collects data and finds that students who feel more related and competent do feel happier but that feeling more autonomous does not seem to matter. Susan thinks that maybe autonomy is only necessary when people are in situations in which they are not being evaluated.

After Susan collects and analyzes her data, which of the following is the next logical step?
a. Susan alters or amends the theory to fit her data.
b. Susan writes a paper challenging Self-Determination Theory because only some of her data supported it.
c. Susan ignores the data that did not fit the theory.
d. Susan recalculates her data to fit the theory.

Answer 1

a. Susan alters or amends the theory to fit her data.

Step-by-step explanation:

The next logical step in this scenario would be for Susan to alter or amend the theory to fit her data. Overall her data supports the theory that was being tested but not every single aspect of that theory. Therefore, the data needs to be analyzed and used to alter the original theory so that a new one is created which is completely backed by the data that has already been gathered. This is what tends to happen in many experiments since the data is ultimately facts that back up a theory.