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PHILOSOPHICALFOUNDATIONS:

WHAT IS THEORY?

Chapter Two

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What is Communication?

y Definition: The process through which messages,both intentional and unintentional, create meaning(Metts, 2004, p. 5).

yAspects: Dialectical nature

Strategic and Consequential

Perceptual consequences

Behavioral consequences Relational consequences

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What happens on afirst date that willlead people to goon a second date?

How can astudent besuccessful?

What leads one

broadcastingagency to becomesuccessful in amarket?

What wouldmake employeesin a givenorganization

more productive?

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What is Theory?

yNave or lay theories

y There is no single correct definition of

theoryyDefinitions depend on assumptions and

needs/goals of theorist

y

But all agree that theory if fundamentally anabstraction

Theory is not behavior but an abstract

representation of behavior

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Metaphors might help

Theories are a

Reduction of

details to patternsof associations

A map

A fishing netSpectacles

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Difference between nave theories andscientific theories

y Both lay theories and scientific theories function toorganize information, describe phenomena,explain how communication works, and sometimespredict future occurrences.

y However, the important difference between lay

theories and scientific theories is that scholarsmust be able to argue for the validity (truth orcorrectness) of their theoriesthey do thisempirically, statistically, and/or logically

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More Formal Definitions of Theory?

yAbstractions of the social worldthatexplain how, when, or why something

happens, and exist at varying levels ofgenerality (Miller, 2005)

yA description of concepts and

specifications of the relationshipsbetween or among these concepts(Metts, 2004, p. 9)

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What Theories Are Not

y Theories should be distinguished from hypotheses,typologies, taxonomies, and models.

Hypothesis: A single statement about the relationship

between two concepts Typology: Thematic categories (e.g., types of immediacy

cues in the classroom or types of power)

Taxonomy: Categories that are arranged hierarchically(types of animals)

Models: usually concerned with processes; draw ontypologies, taxonomies, and theories but describe withoutpredicting or explaining. Ex.: the stages of relationshipdevelopment and deterioration

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What a theory is not

y A hypothesis

y A model

y A taxonomy

y A paradigm

As depth of self-disclosure increases,

relationships will grow

Compliance Gaining Strategies

REWARD APPEALS1. Ingratiation

2. Promise

3. Debt

4. Esteem

5. Allurement

PUNISHMENT APPEALSetc.

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What is this?

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What is this?

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What are the parts of a theory?

Miller (2005):

y (1) description of phenomena,

y (2) relationships among thesephenomena,

y (3) an underlying storyline that

describes mechanisms at work, and

y (4) links between the abstract theoryand observed phenomena

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Firstsome review!

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What are the parts of a theory?

Metts (2004):

y (1) concepts

y (2) relationships among these conceptsPropositions OR Other statements

yPropositions

Temporal

Correlational

Causal

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What does a theory do?(Metts, 2004, p. 14)

Function What the Theory Does

Organize

Describe

Explain

Predict

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Functions of theories

y To provide answers to interesting questionsand/or solutions to important problems

Theories address empirical problems inwhich something about the observed world ispuzzling

Theories address conceptual problems in

which there are inconsistencies within a theoryor with other theories

Theories address practical problems of dailylife

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Actual practice

Inductive

DeductiveInductive

Deductive

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How can I tell if a theory is good?

y Utility

y scientific &

practicaly Scope Breadth (range of

applicability)

Parsimonyy Heurism

y Falsifiability

yAccuracy(entailsfalsifiability)

y Consistency(internal and external)

y Scope

y Simple (Parsimony)

y Fruitful (Heurism)

Metts Miller (Ch. 3; p. 44)

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Paradigms & Theories

yKuhn on Paradigms

yParadigms > Theories

yThe Paradox of ParadigmsyRevolution versus accumulation

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Paradigm shift as Revolution

Normal

ScienceAnomalies

Crisis

Revolution

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Paradigms & Theories

Paradigm Paradigm Paradigm

TheoryType

TheoryType

TheoryType

Theory Theory Theory

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Metatheoretical Commitments

yMetatheory: theory about theory --philosophical commitments

yMetatheoretical commitments definedifferent approaches to theorydevelopment and research practices

yThree important aspects of metatheoryare ontology, epistemology, andaxiology

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Ontology: The Nature of the Social World

y Realist stance: The social world is seen asconsisting of real entities, independent of anindividuals perception

y Nominalist stance: The social world consistsof names and labels we use to structurereality

y Social constructionist stance: We create thesocial world through symbols and interactionbut it then becomes a reality constrainingour behavior

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These positions are on a continuum

Realist Social Nominalist

Constructionist

Where do you fall on this continuum?

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Epistemology: The creation and growthof knowledge (Table 2.1, p. 29)

y Objectivist stance: Causal explanations of thesocial world are developed through separation ofknower and known and use of the scientific

method (observation, search for regularities inbehavior; generalizable knowledge)

y Subjectivist stance: Emergent and localunderstandings of the social world are developedthrough situated knowledge and reports ofcultural insidersresearcher often becomes partof the group

y Intersubjectivist stance?

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Paradigms: Burrell & Morgans View

yBurrell and Morgan outline sociologicaltheories, many of which also appear incommunication research, on two continua.

y These are continua, rather than simplecategories (though they do inform Millersdiscussion).

y The two are as follows: 1) Ontology/Epistemology (x-axis)

2) Axiology (y axis)

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The Subjective-Objective Dimension

(Source: Burrell and Morgan, 1979: 3)

Subjective Objective

Ontology/

Epistemology

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The Subjective-Objective Dimension

Nominalism Realismontology

Anti-positivism Positivismepistemology

Ideographic Nomotheticmethodology

The subjectivist

approach to

social science

The objectivist

approach to

social science


Voluntarism Determinismhuman nature

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Scientific key words

yCauseEffect, influence, affect, lead to

yFactors, variables

y

PredictyGeneralizable

yAnalytic/reductionistic

yQuantitative (or qualitative)

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Humanistic key words

yContextual

y Interpretive

y

Social constructionyHolistic

ySubjective

yQualitative (usually)

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Axiology: The role of values in theorydevelopment

yMost theorists now reject the idea thatvalues can be totally eliminated fromthe research process

yThree positions are still evident:values only play a role in parts of the

research process

values permeate the research processvalues should direct the research process

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Rephrased as questions:

yCan research be value-free?

yShould research be value-free?

yWhat do you think?

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The Social Change/Status Quo Dimension


Radical Social Change

Regulation/Status Quo/Observation

Axiology

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Critical key words

yPower (struggles, etc.)yProduction and reproduction of social

structures (like sexism, racism,

classism)yEmpowerment, emancipation,

resistanceySocial relations

y Ideology, hegemonyySocial changey NOTE: May be qualitative orquantitative

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A very important note: Critical theory, atleast in communication, is not a question ofmethod or ontological/epistemological

assumptions, but of the purpose of research:y Study 1: Does exposure to pornography lead men to

see women in more objectified terms?

y Study2: In what ways does the movie, Thelma and

Louise provide new (and empowering) narratives forwomens relationships?

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Three (socially constructed) paradigmsnin

communication!

(Source: Burrell and

Morgan, 1979: 22)

SUBJECTIVE OBJECTIVE

REGULAT

ION

RADICAL CHANGE

CRITICAL:

Social change

SCIENTIFIC:

Predict/Control

HUMANISTIC:

Observe/Interpret

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Building Communication TheoryChapter 3

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Two debates in Communication

y 1977: Laws, Rules Systemsy 1983: Scientific, Humanistic, CriticalyTodays debates?

y 1989: Rethinking CommunicationyWhat would you find at a communication

conference today?yW

hat do you find in the School ofCommunication at Illinois StateUniversity?

422 Theory

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