From journal-of-applied-psychology-skills
Guides building theoretical models and directional hypotheses for Journal of Applied Psychology manuscripts. Emphasizes mechanism, level specifications, and confirmatory vs. exploratory splits.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/journal-of-applied-psychology-skills:joap-theory-and-hypothesesThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
JAP is theory-first. A paper lives or dies on whether it makes a **theoretical contribution to I-O
JAP is theory-first. A paper lives or dies on whether it makes a theoretical contribution to I-O science — a new mechanism, boundary condition, integration of frameworks, or construct clarification — and whether the hypotheses follow from that theory. The cardinal honesty rule: state theory and confirmatory hypotheses before the data, and label anything generated after seeing data as exploratory.
| Contribution type | What it must show |
|---|---|
| New mechanism | a process not previously specified linking established constructs |
| Boundary condition | when/for whom a known effect holds or reverses (a theorized moderator) |
| Integration | two frameworks reconciled to predict something neither does alone |
| Construct work | a clarified, differentiated, or newly measured construct with validity evidence |
| Cross-level model | how a higher-level factor shapes lower-level processes (or emergence upward) |
A servant-leadership package, written so the mechanism, levels, and hypothesis status are legible.
Mechanism: Servant leadership signals safety and worth, building team
psychological safety (social-exchange + safety climate), which
frees members to voice and coordinate, raising team performance.
Levels: Leadership (team, L2) → psychological safety (team, L2) →
performance (team, L2); voice tested as L1 mediator (2-2-2 / 2-1-2).
H1 (confirmatory): Servant leadership relates positively to team performance.
H2 (confirmatory): Team psychological safety mediates H1.
H3 (confirmatory, preregistered in the lab study):
The effect is stronger under high task interdependence (boundary).
Disconfirming: a near-zero indirect effect with a CI spanning zero, or a
reversed safety path, counts against the account — stated up front.
| Reviewer pushback | JAP fix |
|---|---|
| "No theoretical contribution" | name the new mechanism/boundary/integration in one sentence before H1 |
| "Level of analysis is muddled" | label every construct's level and the cross-level form (1-1-1, 2-1-1, …) |
| "This looks HARKed" | show the preregistration timestamp; relabel post hoc analyses exploratory |
| "Hypotheses don't follow from the theory" | rebuild each H as a signed deduction from the stated mechanism |
| "Mediation/moderation asserted, not theorized" | give the process reason the indirect/interaction effect should exist |
【Mechanism】the I-O process linking the constructs, briefly
【Levels】each construct's level + cross-level form (1-1-1 / 2-1-1 / 2-2-2 …)
【Hypotheses】directional, signed (H1, H2 mediation, H3 moderation …)
【Status】which are confirmatory (preregistered) vs exploratory
【Disconfirming evidence】what would count against the theory
【Next】joap-literature-positioning
../../resources/external_tools.md — preregistration templates, theory-mapping and measurement tools../../resources/official-source-map.md — scope and contribution expectationsnpx claudepluginhub brycewang-stanford/awesome-journal-skills --plugin journal-of-applied-psychology-skillsBuilds theoretical arguments and derives testable hypotheses for JPSP manuscripts. Structures the theory section and maps hypotheses to studies, helping clear the innovation gate.
Structures the theoretical framing and hypothesis section for a Journal of Educational Psychology manuscript, requiring a clear psychological mechanism, directional confirmatory vs. exploratory hypotheses, and preregistration status.
Guides writing the theory and hypotheses section for Psychological Science manuscripts, ensuring clear separation of confirmatory (preregistered) vs exploratory analyses and preventing HARKing.