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2 2 Teory in Science Ras

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9 views23 pages

2 2 Teory in Science Ras

Uploaded by

Sophia Lindholm
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The role of theory in

science
undersøgelsesmetoder
ontology and epistemology in
scientific practice

EUM2
2

Data and empirical materials

Theory as selection machines


(methodological and ontological reduction)

Epistemology and knowledge

Eclecticism

Mandatory assignment #1
3

Exercise – talk to the person next to you

• What are the ontological and epistemological assumptions that underpin


the IQ test by Illustreret Videnskab?

• Look up the test online, and answer the first 5-6 questions (and assume
that the remaining questions in the test look the same)

• https://iq-test.illvid.dk/
4

Exercise follow-up

• Ontology?

• Epistemology?
5

Exercise follow-up 2

• What aspects of test subjects’ intelligence are selected by the test?

• Which are skipped?

• What *could* be included? How *could* that be studied?

• Why are intelligence studies always tests?


7

Science investigates entities

entities must be defined to be


investigated
02-03-2020 8

Epistemology in the sciences: lenses to look at the world

the ‘lenses’ are conceptual


structures (theories, concepts,
themes, methods)

they foreground some aspects


and tone down others

Køppe & Helles: Theory is about


discarding possible data about
an object of study
9
02-03-2020 10

Realobjekt, erkendelsesobjekt og metodologisk reduktion

• A ‘realobjektet’ is something that exists in the world – e.g. a


communication process

• B ‘erkendelsesobjektet’ is the product of a range of decisions – e.g. the


selection of aspects of the real object that are of relevance to a study

• the reduction from A to B is called a methodological reduction (also,


Sonne-Ragans: 189)
11

Can a methodological reduction go wrong?

1. Yes, if It excludes aspects important to it based on what we are interested


in

2. Yes, if it includes aspects that (we think) it cannot have


12

1. It excludes aspects important to it based 2. it includes aspects that (we think) it


on what we are interested in cannot have

• Called ontological reduction. • We can define many aspects of an


• Common in discussions of empirical entity...
adequacy or bias of agiven study • ... but we may exclude many of them
based on rational assumptions

• E.g. can intelligence be reduced to logical • E.g. we would not accept studies that
acumen? includes paranormal phenomena as part
of an explanation
02-03-2020 13

Data and methods

A theory: combines ontological and


epistemological positions

...which suggests some


methodological choices

...which can lead to observations of


it

... logical and conceptual consitency


between choices is required
1402-03-2020

Exercise (2x2)

...and how it
Look at the
Dicuss how the DEFINES what CAN BECOME
Padlet PDFs on
quotes... can be data empirical
Humphreys
materials
02-03-2020 15

The hierarchical organization of theories

• Most theories are formulated around level 2 (from


Køppe & Helles p. 516)
• Concepts, delimitations, types of data etc.

• They are sometimes called topical theories


(‘emneteori’)
• but! always linked to ideas at level 3 (and 4) as well

• example: Yates and Orlikowski’s genre theory (genres


in organizational communication)
• broader paradigms, e.g Yates & Orlikowski (1992)
are linked to structuralism @ level 3
02-03-2020 16

The hierarchical organization of theories:


Humphreys as example

< Observation as a common technique in field studies

< Humphreys’ ideas about cellphone use as interaction


rituals

< Goffman’s theory is foundational in symbolic


interactionism

< Interpretivist/constructivist ideas of social (and


natural) reality and their relationship
02-03-2020 17

Operationalization

• Theories are operationalized to


select aspects of reality for
collection and analysis

• In natural sciences: a concept is


expressed in a device (e.g. pH
measurement)

• In social science / humanities:


detailed, abstract descriptions
1802-03-2020

....operationalization

• Rigorous operationalization is unique to science

• Unified definitions of concepts within a study

• both in the empirical and theoretical parts

• (From Køppe & Helles: ‘Stress’ is discussed all over, but may mean many
different things)
02-03-2020 19

Typical risks from eclecticism: faulty operationalization

‘Når man låner fra en teori låner man også


teoriens forudsætninger’
common source of problems in student
projects is to ignore this

KomIT example: Using instructional business


communication literature in conjunction
with general communication theory
• do they mean the same thing when
they talk about ’effect’, ‘channel’ or
‘people’?
• business communication often invokes
psychological theories in simplistic
ways
02-03-2020 20

Review

• Ontology – ideas about the nature of reality

• Epistemology – limits and sources of knowledge

• Data and methods – matching the ontological and epistemological


positions of a theory

• Ontology and epistemology combine to point out aspects of entities that


can and should be observed
2102-03-2020

Mandatory assignment #1 published

• Read carefully – also the target article

• Many of the concepts we have discussed the past weeks can be used

• QUESTION TIME NEXT FRIDAY IN THE LECTURE


• (also Tuesday if necessary)
02-03-2020 22

Next week (Tuesday lecture)

• Craig provides a typology of communication theories

• They can be thought of as paradigms of communication

• Focus esp. on pp. 132 ff.


• the seven traditions...
• ... & the two figures where they are presented in relation to eachother
02-03-2020 23

Craig’s communication theories

• A comparison of paradigms of communication

• Succinct points of tension and identity btw. theories

• Note: sometimes paradigms co-exist by dividing the ontological domain

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