Week 2 : Theory as Research Foundation Flashcards
1
Q
Scientific Definition of Theory…
A
- Sequential arugement consisting of a series of logically related statements put forward to illuminate some element of social life
- A well-articulated and well-reasoned supposition about a social phenomenon that moves logically & systematically from one point to related points to a conclusion/expectation
2
Q
Empiricism…
A
The idea that the world can be subjected to observation, or the use of the senses to gather data about social phenomenon
3
Q
Scientific method
A
- theory & empiricism are the key ingredients of the scientific method
- systematic process of asking & answering qestions in a rigorous & unbiased way
4
Q
Purposes of theory
A
- To describe
- to Explain
- To explore
5
Q
Purposes of theory
1- To describe
A
- a lot of details = concise, ‘thick’ description
- general patterns
- basic insights & principles
- Descriptive theory often arises from research studies and is not typically used to guide research studies
- usually associated with qualitative research
- e.g. demographic transition theory – (not too many concepts tho! best to focus on one or two things at a time)
- e.g. interpretivist research illustrates descriptive theory
6
Q
Purposes of theory
2 - To explain
A
- find real causes & effects
- predict change in one thing based on change in another thing
- articulate the processes through which a social phenomenon unfolds in order to pose hypotheses that can then be empirically tested
- it guides research studies
- quantitative methods
- e.g. theory of crime
7
Q
Purposes of theory
3 - To explore
A
- thery can point researchers to specific questions that need answers or angles that need to be considered
- guiding future exploration
- many concepts
8
Q
Key Characteristics of Theories
A
- Testable & falsifiable
- Generalizable
- Probabilistic
9
Q
Key Characteristics of Theories
1 - Testable & Falsifiable
A
- means that can be qualitatively/quantitatively examined & proved wrong
10
Q
Key Characteristics of Theories
2 - Generalizable
A
- they can be applied to general classes of events rather than to only one event
11
Q
3 - probabilistic
A
- they point to what is likely to happen rather than what will certaintly happen
12
Q
2 ways researchers use theory in relation to their empirical analyses
1- Inductive approach
A
- goal is to build up to an explanation
- bottom-up
- starts with some clues, some data, some situations
- develop a hypothesis/theory from that
13
Q
2 ways researchers use theory in relation to their empirical analyses
2 - Deductive research
A
- the goal is to guice empirical activities
- top-down (theory guides action)
- starts with theory –> develop hypothesis/proposition –> figure out a way to test it using empirical data
14
Q
Tentative knowledge…
A
- the search for knowledge is uncertain & unending
- research is not a standalone endeavor
- it is important to identify knowledge gaps (lit review)
15
Q
Paradigms
A
- a broad set of taken-for-granted and often unacknowledged assumption about how social reality is to be defined
- paradigms can point to how issues should be studied & what questions should be asked
16
Q
Concept…
A
- an idea that can be named, defined & measured in some way
- concepts are assembled together to make a theory
- they can be abstract or concise
17
Q
Variables
A
- variables operationalize concepts so they can be concretely measured
- a variable must vary, i.e. have a set of attributes (or values)
18
Q
Example of concepts & variables
A
- concept = poverty
- unit of analysis = household
- variable = household income relative to the poverty line
- attributes = ‘above’ and ‘on or below’
19
Q
Relationships among concepts…
1 - positively (directly) related
A
- an increase in one goes along with an increase in the other
- they move in the same direction
20
Q
Relationships among concepts…
2 - Negatively (inversely) related
A
- an increase in one goes along with a decrease in the other
- move in opposite directions
21
Q
Relationships among concepts…
3 - Mediation
A
- the expected relation between 2 concepts is channeled thru a third concept linking them together
- E.g. economic struggles (concept 1) make parents act more harshly toward their children (mediator), which leads children to act out (concept 2)
22
Q
Relationships among concepts…
4 - Moderation
A
- strength of the relation between 2 concepts is expected to be weaker or stronger because of a third concept
- E.g. children living in family hardship (concept 1) generally do worse socioemotionally (concept 2), but this general relation does not hold when parents remain supportive of children despite economic hardship (moderator)
23
Q
Relations among Concepts…
5 - Spuriousness
A
- the relation between 2 concepts is complicated by a confound, or third variable that makes the other 2 appear to be related when they are not
24
Q
Hypothesis
A
- testable statement of a relationship between 2 variables
- aim is to disprove the null hypothesis (falsification)
25
Q
Types of hypotheses
A
- hypothesis of diference… testable statement about group differences
- hypothesis of association… ‘if-then’ structure (not specific cause-and-effect)
- causal hypothesis… cause & effect
26
Q
Research questions…
A
- descriptive = what is going on? (one or two things)
- explanatory = what is the cause/explanation? (theory identifies possible cause)
- exploratory = questions tend to be relatively more open-ended
- evaluative = what is the impact of policy/program? (must focus on specific policy)
27
Q
Research & methods
A
- research = theory + empiricism (data)
- research methods = ways to obtain data to answer research question
- surveys, experiments, ethnography, interview & focus group, material-based methods, evalutation research
28
Q
2 common mistakes
1 - logical mistakes
A
- apply insights from one level of analysis to another
- ecological fallacy = insights from macro-level to predict micro-level outcomes
- reductionist fallacy = study individuals within the group & draw a conclusion about how the whole group will act
29
Q
2 common mistakes
2 - Lack of specificity
A
- grand theories are too broad to be useful (like scientific paradigms)
- personal ‘theory’ = non-scientific speculation
