From jpsp-skills
Builds theoretical arguments and derives testable hypotheses for JPSP manuscripts. Structures the theory section and maps hypotheses to studies, helping clear the innovation gate.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/jpsp-skills:jpsp-theory-and-hypothesesThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
JPSP's first gate is **theoretical innovation**: reviewers ask whether the paper's *underlying ideas*
JPSP's first gate is theoretical innovation: reviewers ask whether the paper's underlying ideas
are interesting and generative enough, often independent of how strong the data are. A package of
well-run studies with a thin idea will not clear the bar. This skill builds the theory and the
hypotheses each study tests; the studies themselves are designed in jpsp-study-design.
(Adapted from JPSP section guidance; verify per section.) A contribution can:
jpsp-data-analysis)Illustrative — invented to model diagnostic hypotheses, not a real theory.
Claim: incidental gratitude broadens construal because it shifts attention toward self-transcendent goals. The diagnostic test is what separates this from a "clean effect" that fails the gate:
Each hypothesis maps to one study, and H2/H3 are built so a competing theory predicts otherwise; that diagnosticity is what an ASC reviewer means by "theoretically generative" — the difference between a JPSP package and a demonstration.
Treat this skill as an executable review pass, not a prose hint. First lock the construct validity, study sequence, power/robustness plan, and boundary conditions; then judge whether the current manuscript answers the venue's real reader: psychology reviewers who need a theoretical construct, validated measurement, and cumulative-study logic.
claim / evidence / risk / manuscript location rows, so the next agent can edit rather than rediscover the issue.resources/official-source-map.md has been checked for volatile rules and the manuscript has one concrete fix for the largest venue-specific risk.【Core claim】one sentence
【Mechanism】the "why"
【Innovation type】new theory / new mechanism / integration / moderator / new construct / …
【Hypotheses → studies】H1→S1, H2→S2 (mechanism), H3→S3 (boundary) …
【Diagnostic vs alternatives】which alternative each test rules out
【Scope / generalization】where the theory applies
【Next】jpsp-study-design
../../resources/external_tools.md — SEM / mediation / process tooling for testing derivations../../resources/official-source-map.md — section innovation criteria and review gatenpx claudepluginhub brycewang-stanford/awesome-journal-skills --plugin jpsp-skillsGuides building theoretical models and directional hypotheses for Journal of Applied Psychology manuscripts. Emphasizes mechanism, level specifications, and confirmatory vs. exploratory splits.
Guides writing the theory and hypotheses section for Psychological Science manuscripts, ensuring clear separation of confirmatory (preregistered) vs exploratory analyses and preventing HARKing.
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.