How to Build Social Science Theories

by Pamela J. Shoemaker

• ISBN13: 9780761926672
• ISBN10: 0761926674
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-12-15
• Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc

Summary

Click 'Additional Materials' to read the foreword by Jerald Hage As straightforward as its title, How to Build Social Science Theories sidesteps the well-traveled road of theoretical examination by demonstrating how new theories originate and how they are elaborated. Essential reading for students of social science research, this book traces theories from their most rudimentary building blocks (terminology and definitions) through multivariable theoretical statements, models, the role of creativity in theory building, and how theories are used and evaluated. Authors Pamela J. Shoemaker, James William Tankard, Jr., and Dominic L. Lasorsa intend to improve research in many areas of the social sciences by making research more theory-based and theory-oriented. The book begins with a discussion of concepts and their theoretical and operational definitions. It then proceeds to theoretical statements, including hypotheses, assumptions, and propositions. Theoretical statements need theoretical linkages and operational linkages; this discussion begins with bivariate relationships, as well as three-variable, four-variable, and further multivariate relationships. The authors also devote chapters to the creative component of theory-building and how to evaluate theories. How to Build Social Science Theories is a sophisticated yet readable analysis presented by internationally known experts in social science methodology. It is designed primarily as a core text for graduate and advanced undergraduate courses in communication theory. It will also be a perfect addition to any course dealing with theory and research methodology across the social sciences. Additionally, professional researchers will find it an indispensable guide to the genesis, dissemination, and evaluation of social science theories.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Foreword	xiii
Jerald Hage
Introduction: The Nature of Science	1	(14)
Science	1	(2)
Social Science	3	(2)
Theory	5	(2)
Scientific Jargon	7	(2)
Doing Science	9	(2)
Outline of the Book	11	(4)
Theoretical Concepts: The Building Blocks of Theory	15	(22)
Constructs, Concepts, and Variables	15	(11)
Variables Versus Nonvariables	16	(2)
Variables Acting as Nonvariables	18	(1)
Independent Versus Dependent Variables	18	(2)
Categorical Versus Continuous Variables	20	(2)
Converting Categorical Variables Into Continuous Variables	22	(3)
Identifying Dimensions of a Construct	25	(1)
Defining Concepts	26	(11)
Theoretical Definitions	26	(3)
Operational Definitions	29	(4)
Building Scales and Indexes	33	(4)
Theoretical Statements Relating Two Variables	37	(14)
Identifying Assumptions	38	(2)
Forms of Hypotheses	40	(4)
Causal Direction	44	(2)
How Research Questions and Hypotheses Differ	46	(5)
Theoretical and Operational Linkages	51	(16)
Theoretical Linkages	52	(5)
Operational Linkages	57	(7)
Operational Linkages as Visual Representations	57	(5)
Operational Linkages as Statistics	62	(2)
The Whole Story	64	(3)
Theoretical Statements Relating Three Variables	67	(18)
Roles of Three-Variable Relationships in Theory	70	(2)
Five Types of Outcomes	72	(9)
Proper Form for Hypothesis	81	(2)
Some Methodological Considerations	83	(1)
Conclusion	84	(1)
Theoretical Statements Relating Four or More Variables	85	(22)
Formulating Theoretical Statements for Complex Systems	86	(3)
Visualizing Four-Variable Relationships	89	(6)
Extending the Three-Variable Strategy to Complex Systems	95	(3)
Ordering the Variables in Time	98	(2)
Analyzing Paths Among Multiple Variables	100	(3)
Specifying Nonlinear Relationships and Nonadditive Effects	103	(2)
Caveats and Conclusions	105	(2)
Theoretical Modeles	107	(38)
What a Model Is	107	(7)
Modeles Versus Theories	110	(4)
Uses of Models	114	(5)
Criticisms of Models	119	(3)
Types of Models	122	(10)
Representing Theories in Model Form	132	(2)
Deriving Theoretical Statements From Models	134	(3)
Building on Existing Modeles	137	(1)
Developments in Model Building	138	(7)
Creativity and Theory Building	145	(22)
Beginning Points for Theory	146	(1)
Creativity in Theory Building	147	(2)
Some Suitable Points for Creative Thinking	149	(1)
Principles and Techniques of Creative Thinking	149	(8)
Attribute Listing	150	(1)
The Technique of Forced Relationships	151	(1)
Morphological Analysis	151	(1)
Brainstorming	152	(1)
Generating Lists of Ideas	153	(1)
Lateral Thinking	153	(1)
Random Input	154	(1)
Setting up Provocations	154	(1)
The Creative Hit List	155	(1)
Visualization	155	(1)
Writing Techniques	156	(1)
Letting the Unconscious Do Some of the Work	156	(1)
Metaphor and Analogy in Theory Building	157	(9)
Examples from Mass Communication Theory	158	(4)
Advantages of Metaphor and Analogy	162	(2)
Cautions in Using Metaphor and Analogy	164	(1)
Finding Metaphors and Analogies	165	(1)
Switching to the Critical Mode	165	(1)
Conclusion	166	(1)
Using and Evaluating Theory	167	(16)
Atheoretical Research	168	(1)
The Usefulness of Theory	169	(1)
Summarizing Knowledge	169	(1)
Practical Applications	169	(1)
Guiding Research	169	(1)
Ten Steps of Building a Theory	170	(1)
Evaluating Theories	171	(5)
Testability	171	(1)
Falsifiability	172	(1)
Parsimony	172	(1)
Explanatory Power	172	(1)
Predictive Power	173	(1)
Scope	173	(1)
Cumulative Nature of Science	173	(1)
Degree of Formal Development	174	(2)
Heuristic Value	176	(1)
Aesthetics	176	(1)
Sample Evaluation of a Theory	176	(2)
Theory Building and Platt's ``Strong Inference''	178	(1)
Constraints on Theory Building	179	(1)
Final Suggestions	180	(1)
Conclusion	181	(2)
Appendix A. Guidelines for Preparing Tables and Figures	183	(18)
Appendix B. Acceptable Levels of Measurement for Various Statistics	201	(2)
References	203	(8)
Index	211	(10)
About the Authors	221