Chapter 3: Weighing the words Flashcards
What are the [six] Objective Theory criteria?
- predictability
- explanatory
- relative simplicity
- testability & falsifiability
- practical utility
- quantitative research
Explain predictability:
objective theory seeks to provide ideas about what to expect in the future and help us make decisions // predictability is related to overall quality of the theory
Explain explanatory:
objective theory help us understand HOW it happens and WHY it happens
Explain relative simplicity:
objective theory presents complex/abstract ideas in the simplest manner possible
Occam’s razor:
theorists should “shave off” any assumptions, variables, or concepts that aren’t necessary to explain what’s going on
Rule of parsimony:
given two plausible explanations for the same event, we should accept the less complex version
Explain testability and falsifiability:
objective theory should be able to be tested and be disproved or refuted
Explain practical utility:
objective theory should be useful
some consider this the most important criterion
Explain quantitative research:
objective theories use quantitative data (numbers) for comparing/contrasting
What type of quantitative methods do objective theorists use to test their predictions?
experiments and surveys
What are the [six] Interpretive Theory criteria?
- values clarification
- new understanding of people
- aesthetic appeal
- community of agreement
- reform of society
- qualitative research
Explain values clarification for objective and interpretive theories:
- objective theories represent values-free scholarship
- interpretive theories conduct values-conscious scholarship
Values-conscious scholarship:
interpretive researchers recognize the importance of values to research and theory – they seek to bring people’s values into the open (including their own)
Explain new understanding of people for objective and interpretive theories:
- objective researchers look for broad scale communication patterns across people
- interpretive researchers look for situated meaning (how we can better understand people based on a singular situation)
Explain aesthetic appeal:
interpretive theories have a comforting appeal because they are not constrained by hypotheses, operationalizing variables, etc.
Self-referential imperative:
theorists must include themselves as participants in their own research (they affect and are affected by their ideas)
Explain community of agreement:
interpretive theory is judged on the amount of support generated within community of scholars who are interested and knowledgable about the type of communication
(verify or vilify)
Explain reform of society:
interpretive theories seek to generate change, doubt, challenge and query.
They challenge taken for granted assumptions about reality and life.
Explain qualitative research:
interpretive theories use qualitative data to make sense of (or interpret) things in terms of the meaning people bring to them
Parsimony
presenting complex or abstract ideas in the simplest manner possible
Value-free scholarship:
seeking objectivity without personal values affecting work (used by objectivists)
What [three] things does Littlejohn suggest make a good theory?
- introduces you to new ideas
- change constantly (elaborated, collaborated, extended)
- have staying power
Surveys and empirical research are examples of ____ & ____ research, respectively.
quantitative, objective
Clarity, artistry, and creativity are parts of the ____ standard for ____ theories.
aesthetic appeal, interpretive
Interpretive theories always use ____ to study communication.
textual analysis and ethnography
What type of qualitative methods do interpretive theorists use to test their predictions?
open-ended interviews, textual analysis, ethnography
focus groups, visual texts, artifacts, and introspection
Values-conscious scholarship refers to ______
acknowledging researcher biases and standpoints
If I publish an _____ theory, I must receive acceptance and support from my colleagues that also study communication theories. This reflects the _____ standard for these types of theories.
interpretive, community of agreement
Littlejohn, et al., suggested _____.
both interpretive and objective theories should offer insights or “aha” moments
“A good interpretive theory often generates _____”
change
