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Theories in Scientific Research - Coggle Diagram
Theories in Scientific Research
Theories are explanations of a natural or social behavior, event , or phenomenon. They should explain why things happen, rather than just describe or predict.
Predictions requires only correlations/Explanations require causations, or understanding of cause-effect relationships.
Establishing Causation requires three conditions: 1. Correlations between two constructs; 2. Temporal precedence; 3. Rejection of alternative hypotheses
Explanations can be ideographic or nomothetic
Idiographic explanations are those that explain a single situation or event in idiosyncratic detail
Nomothetic Explanations seek to explain a class of situations or events rather than a specific situation or event.
Theory is not data, facts, typologies, taxonomies, or empirical findings.
There are many benefits to using theories in research: Theories provide the underlying logic of the occurrence of natural or social phenomenon by explaining what are the key drivers and key outcomes of the target phenomenon and why, and what underlying processes are responsible driving that phenomenon.
Third, theories provide guidance for future research by helping identify constructs and relationships that are worthy of further research by helping identify constructs and relationships that are worthy of future research by helping identify construct and relationships that worthy of further research.
Fourth, Theories can contribute to cumulative knowledge building by bridging gaps between other theories and by causing theories to be reevaluated in a new light.
2nd benefit is they aid in sense -making by helping us synthesize prior empirical findings within a theoretical framework and reconcile contradictory findings by discovering contingent factors influencing the relationship between two constructs in different studies.
Building Blocks of a Theory-there are four building blocks:Constructs, Propositions, Logic, and Boundary Conditions/Assumptions.
Constructs are abrtcts concepts specified at a high level of abstraction that are chosen specifically ro explain the phenomenon of interest
Propositions are associations postulated between constructs based on deductive logic and are stated in declarative form and should ideally indicate a cause-effect relationship. Propositions may be conjectural but MUST be testable and should be rejected if they are not supported by empirical observations.
Logic-provoides the basis for justifying the propositions as postulated. Logic acts like a glue that connects the theoretical constructs and provides meaning and relevance to the relationships between these constructs. Logic also represents the explanation that lies at the core of a theory.
Assumptions-values, time, and space and boundary conditions govern where the theory can be applied and where it cannot be applied.
Approaches to Theorizing
Attributes of a good theory: Logical Consistency ; Explanatory Power; Falsifiability; Parsimony
First Approach is to build theories inductively based on observed patterns of events or behaviors
Second Approach is to conduct a bottom up conceptual analysis to identify different sets of predictors relevant to the phenomenon of interests using a predefined framework.
Third Approach is to extend or modify existing theories to explain a new context such as by extending theories of individual learning to explain organizational learning.
Fourth Approach is to apply existing theories in entirely new contexts by drawing upon the structural similarities between the two contexts.
Examples of Social Science Theories: Agency Theory ; Theory of Planned Behavior; Innovation Diffusion Theory; Elaboration Likelihood Model and Genral Deterrence Theory