Theories Flashcards
Theory
An explanation of how some aspect of the world works.
- testable, a process of developing ideas and explains how and why
- You are always trying to DISPROVE something
Theories must be proven through rigorous research that…
Describes, explains and predicts
Concepts
The basic building blocks on which theory is built.
Represent some aspect of reality
Independent Variables
Variables changed in a model/equation
Dependent Variables
changing only as the independent variable does
Assumptions
Basic principles or ideas that professionals agree upon.
Every theory has underlying assumptions
Propositions
relationships between concepts – only expresses that a relationship does exist, not causation
Data
Distinct pieces of information:
- the event must have occurred
- must be recorded in a replicable way
- must be recorded
Hypothesis
States both the direction and strength of the relationships between concepts.
Elaborated version of a proposition.
Direct Relationship
As X increases, Y increases.
As X decreases, Y decreases.
Inverse Relationship
As X increases, Y decreases.
As X decreases, Y increases.
Systems Theories
Explains how and why systems function as they do.
Describes the interactions of people with one another and within their environments.
Views all living organisms as systems with interacting and relating components.
Ecological Theories
Combination of developmental and systems.
Ellen Swallows Richard
First female student at MIT, coined “Human Ecology.”
First to recognize the relationship between people and their environment. Reciprocal relationship between individual and its environment.
Developmental Theories
Explain the systematic and patterned changes experienced by individual, families and communities over time.
