The Foundations of Research: Philosophy to Theory Flashcards
What are the elements of the research triangle?
- Methods
- Methodology
- Epistemology
- Ontology
What are methods?
Means employed to gather data
What is methodology?
- Means employed to inquire about the phenomenon
- Embedded in each statement of methodology are epistomonological and ontological assumptions
What is epistemology?
Knowledge regarded as evidence or depiction of
What is ontology?
Philosophical assumptions about what constitutes social reality
What is theory?
- Formal, logical explanation of a phenomenon
- Allows understand and explanation/prediction
What are the different kinds of theory?
- Macro
- Relate individual behaviour to larger social structures
- Meso
- Theories that refer to organisations indepnent from the external environment
- Micro
- Personalities etc - individual
What are the elements of a theory?
- Statements
- Concepts
- Variables
What are the different variables within a theory?
- Independent
- Dependednt
- Mediator/Intervening
- Moderator
What is an independent variable in a theory?
Factors that explain the dependent variable
What is a dependent variable in a theory?
Of primary interest to the researcher
What is a Mediator/Intervening variable in a theory?
Variable that mediates the relationship between IV and DV
What is a moderator variable in a theory?
Variable that strengthens or weakens the relationship between IV and DV
What are the criteria for nomothetic causality?
- Variables must be correlated
- Cause takes place before the effect
- Variables are nonspurious
What is a spurious relationship?
Coincidental statistical correlation between two variables shown to be caused by some third variable
