This publication by McGuire focuses on hypothesis-generating issues where 49 creative heuristics are described, each divided into 5 categories and 14 subcategories. The 49 heuristics range from perceptiveness of the oddity of natural occurrences to use of sophisticated quantitative data analyses to generate new insights.
According to McGuire psychologist generate hypotheses for their research as opposed to courses and textbooks that concentrate mainly on hypotheses testing procedures. Publication by McGuire of 1983 indicates that creative hypothesis-generating aspects of research on both strategic and tactical levels can be taught. McGuire’s article of 1973 – “Yin and Yang”, gave some examples of hypothesis-generating techniques that can be described and taught.
McGuire groups hypothesis-generating techniques into five categories, each with subcategory. Category I includes nine observational heuristics that require sensitivity to provocative natural occurrences. Category II and III calls for observational sentivity and conceptual analysis. The final …show more content…
Subcategory A involves responding to the provocative oddity of exceptional occurrences. Subcategory B requires introspective self-analyses in addition to external observation. Subcategory C calls for retrospective comparisons. Nine heuristics are grouped within these four (A through D) subcategories. McGuire has tried to be inclusive in assembling this long lists of techniques for creative hypothesis generating, allowing some of the heuristics to overlap. Shaking down may reduce the list to a slightly smaller set of more independent techniques or conversely expanding the list by subdividing some of the present heuristics and by adding new