Chapter 4 Flashcards
●Used to generalize beyond a specific situation and to make predictions about what should happen in other similar situations.
Theory
allow us to speculate on why and how things work.
Theories
Purposes of Theories
●Summarize existing knowledge to explain observable events.
●Allow us to predict what should occur.
●Stimulate the development of new knowledge.
●Provide the basis for asking a question in applied research.
Components of Theories
Concepts, constructs, prepositions
abstractions that allow us to classify natural phenomena and empirical observations.
Concepts
concepts that can be assigned values so their relationships can be examined
Variables
abstract concepts that are not observable (latent traits).
Constructs
generalized statements that assert the theoretical linkages between concepts.
Propositions
A simplified approximation of a process or a structure
Models
Types of models
physical models, process models, and quantitative models
Theory Development includes what two types of reasoning
Deductive
Inductive
the acceptance of a general proposition and subsequent inferences that can be drawn.
Deductive reasoning
Deductive reasoning involves
•Intuitive
•Going from broad to specific
logic that develops generalization from specific observations
Inductive reasoning
Inductive reasoning involves
•Searching for patterns
•Going from specific to broad
