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Theories in Scientific Research - Coggle Diagram
Theories in Scientific Research
Theories - explanations of a natural or social behavior, event, or phenomenon. They should explain why things happen, rather than just describe or predict.
Idiographic Explanations - those that explain a single situation or event in idiosyncratic detail
Nomothetic Explanations - those that seek to explain a class of situations or events rather than a specific situation or event.
Theories are not data, facts, typologies, taxonomies, or empirical findings - operate at a conceptual level and are based on logic rather than observations.
Four Building Blocks of a Theory
Propositions - associations postulated between constructs based on deductive logic. They are stated in declarative form and should ideally indicate a cause-effect relationship (capture the "how" of theories).
Hypotheses - the empirical formulation of propositions, stated as relationships between variables.
Constructs - abstract concepts specified at a high level of abstraction that are chosen specifically to explain
the phenomenon of interest (capture the "what" of theories).
Variables - measurable representations of abstract constructs (e.g., IQ score). Variables may be independent, dependent, mediating, or moderating.
Logic - provides the basis for justifying the propositions as postulated; acts like a "glue" that connects the theoretical constructs and provides meaning and relevance to the relationships between these constructs. It also represents the "explanation" / "why" that lies at the core of a theory.
Assumptions - all theories are constrained by assumptions about values, time, and space; and Boundary Conditions - govern where the theory can be applied and where it cannot be applied.
Attributes of a Good Theory
Explanatory Power
Falsifiability
Logical Consistency
Parsimony
Approaches to Theorizing
Build theories inductively based on observed patterns of events or behaviors.
Conduct a bottom-up conceptual analysis to identify different sets of predictors relevant to the phenomenon of interest using a predefined framework.
Extend or modify existing theories to explain a new context, such as by extending theories of individual learning to explain organizational learning.
Apply existing theories in entirely new contexts by drawing upon the structural similarities between the two contexts.
Examples of Social Science Theories
Agency Theory - a classic theory in the organizational economics literature used to explain two-party relationships whose goals are not congruent with one another.
Theory of Planned Behavior - a generalized theory used to study a wide range of individual behaviors.
Innovation Diffusion Theory - a seminal theory in the communications literature that is used to explain how innovations are adopted within a population of potential adopters.
Elaboration Likelihood Model - dual-process theory of attitude formation or change in the psychology literature that is used to explain how individuals can be influenced to change their attitude toward a certain object, events, or behavior and the relative efficacy of such change strategies.
General Deterrence Theory - examines why certain individuals engage in deviant, anti-social, or criminal behaviors; holds that people are fundamentally rational and that they freely choose deviant behaviors based on a rational cost-benefit calculation.