Study Guide: Chapter 6 — Anomaly and Discovery

Core Concept

Discovery is a process, not a moment: awareness of anomaly → extended exploration → adjusted categories. Precise expectations are the anomaly-detector; rigidity makes surprise possible.

Key Terms

Anomaly · paradigm-induced expectation · discovery-as-process · perceptual assimilation

Case Summary

Oxygen: Priestley isolates it but sees "dephlogisticated air"; Lavoisier, primed by weight anomalies, sees a new element and rebuilds chemistry. Roentgen's X-rays: a glow that shouldn't exist, chased for weeks.

Application Checklist

• [ ] Make one expectation precise enough that violation would register
• [ ] Pick the anomaly you've been calling noise; give it three hours
• [ ] Grant someone explicit license to chase their glowing screen

Self-Test

1. Why is "who discovered oxygen, when?" unanswerable?
2. What role did the Bruner–Postman cards play in Kuhn's argument?
3. How does paradigm rigidity enable discovery?