Theory and Research Neuman and Robson Ch 2
Theory and Research Neuman and Robson Ch. 2
What is Theory? l “a statement of relationships between concepts” l “a roadmap for organizing ideas and knowledge about the social world” l Explicit vs. implicit Parsimony principle l
Parsimony: Occam’s Razor l Occam's (or Ockham's) razor is a principle attributed to the 14 th century logician and Franciscan friar; William of Occam. Ockham was the village in the English county of Surrey where he was born. l "Pluralitas non est ponenda sine neccesitate" l "when you have two competing theories which make exactly the same predictions, the one that is simpler is the better. ” l From http: //math. ucr. edu/home/baez/physics/General/occam. html
Quasi-Theory l A. Ideology l l l 1. the body of doctrine, myth, belief, etc. , that guides an individual, social movement, institution, class, or large group. 2. such a body of doctrine, myth, etc. , with reference to some political and social plan, as that of fascism, along with the devices for putting it into operation. from http: //dictionary. reference. com/browse/ideology
Quasi-Theory (cont. ) l B. Blame Analysis l “a type of counterfeit argument presented as if it were a theoretical explanation” (Neuman) l Attributes blame rather than providing a causal explanation
Theory Parts l Concepts l l Concept clusters Classification concepts (ideal types) l Relationships l Can be represented by a model
Dimensions of Theory l A. Ontology (how do we know? ) and Epistemology (what do we know? ) l l l Empiricism: knowledge comes from experience of the social world. Can verify through testing hypotheses. Relativism: values, knowledge, behavior of people should be understood within own cultural context Rationalism: reason is the basis of knowledge. B. Deductive vs. Inductive (see next slide) C. Levels of Theory l l l Micro – small scale social processes Meso – organizations and movements Macro – large scale social processes
Purpose of Theory l Explain l Predict l Establish causality
Theoretical Frameworks General context and content of beliefs/assumptions l Major sociological theories l l Structural Functionalism Exchange and Rational Choice Theory Symbolic Interactionism l l Includes Phenomenology, Ethnomethodology and Labelling Theory Conflict l Includes Marxism and Feminism
Comparison of Theoretical Frameworks (see next slide) Theoretical frameworks differ on a number of aspects: l 1. 2. 3. 4. The level of analysis being used by the researcher to look at society The view that is taken of human beings and their actions and behaviour What factors prompt human action What type of scientific approach is used by the researcher to study society
Theoretical Frameworks on Sports l In describing sports, the following statements might be made l Structural Functionalism l l Exchange and Rational Choice Theory l l Involvement in team sports can lead to prestige and recognition for men Symbolic Interactionism l l Sports promote solidarity, binding communities and nations together Sports contribute to teamwork and friendships as well as parent-child involvement Conflict l Sports discriminate against women and minorities
Types of Explanations: l Prediction and explanation l Causal explanations l Structural Explanations l Interpretive explanations
Major Approaches or Paradigms in Social Science l l l l “integrated set of assumptions, beliefs, models of doing good research, and techniques for gathering and analyzing data” 1. Positivism* (*the earliest paradigms) 2. Interpretivism* 3. Critical Social Science 4. Feminist and Postmodern Research A paradigm is theoretical framework and the methodology used to investigate theory Multiple or competing paradigms in sociology
- Slides: 16