Ch4 Theories in scientific research

theories

• Explanations of a natural or social behavior, event or phenomena 

• Why things happen

idiographic explanations

• Those that explain a single situation or event in idiosyncratic detail 

• For example; you do poorly on an eczema because you forgot you had an exam that day 

• Detailed, accurate, and valid but may not apply to other isuations

nomothetic explanations

• Seek to explain a class of situations or events rather than a specific situation or event 

• For example you do poorly on exam because they did not spend enough time preparing you 

• Designed to be generalisable across situations, events, or people, less precise, less complete, less detailed 

constructs

• Abstract conecpets specified at a high level of abstraction that are chosen specfcally to explain he phenomena of interest 

• Must have clear and unamnigpus operational definitions 

• Theoretical plane 

variables

• Measurable represnetaitons of abstract constructs 

• Empirical plane 

propositions

• Associations postulate between constructs based on deductive logic 

• Stated in delcarivw form and indicate cause and effect 

• Must be testable 

• Theoretical level 

hypotheses

• Empirical formulation of propositions stated as relations between variables 

• Empirical level

logic

• Provides basisi for jstifying the propsitons as posulated 

• Glue that connect stheortical constructs and provides meaning and relevance tothe relationships between these constructs 

assumptions

About values time and space

logical consistency

Are the theoretical constructs, propsitoins, boundary conditions and assumptions logically consisten with each other

explanatory power

• How much does a given theory explain or precut reality

• Good theories explain the target phenomen better than rival theoris 

falsifiability

• Popper in 1940s, ensures that the theory is potenteially disprovable 

• Requires presence of rival explanations

Parsimony

• Examines how much of a phenomena is explained with how few vraibales 

• William of Ockham, among competing explanations that sufficiently explain observed evidence, the simplest theory is the best