1 Concepts and theories that people use in their everyday lives differ from what communication theorists try to do because a Everyday concepts are more concrete theorists concepts are more abstract b Theorists try to generalize because they want to explain broad communication behavior c Everyday and academic theories can be found to be falsifiable 2 Theories are abstractions representations of communication phenomena a A taxonomy is a conceptual representation of categories of a phenomenon b A model is a simplified representation of reality Meta Theoretical Assumptions We have some many different communication theories because scholars hold different meta theoretical assumptions define communication in many different ways and they adhere to different assumptions that guide ways of knowing or discovering the world Conclusions drawn from meta theoretical assumptions determine i What communication theorists observes ii How the theorist should observe the phenomenon iii What perspective on communication laws rules systems the theorist will take Ontological Epistemological o Branch of philosophy concerned with studying the nature of reality Do humans make real choices Is human experience basically individual or social Is human experience contextualized o Branch of philosophy that studies knowledge o How do people know what they claim to know Can knowledge exist before experience Can knowledge be certain By what process does knowledge arise o By what process does knowledge arise Mentalism Rationalism Empiricism Constructivism Social Constructivism o Is knowledge best conceived in whole or in parts Axiological o Branch of philosophy studying values Is research value free Does the practice of inquiry influence that which is studied Should research attempt to achieve social change Social Scientist beliefs Knowledge based on observation Phenomenon are waiting to be discovered Structured steps to discovery Reality is distinct from the scientist Scientist discovers reality Collectively scientists understand the world Behavior shaped by forces beyond our control Seek universal laws Goal of research is explanation prediction and sometimes control Test theoretical explanations using quantitative research methods Humanist beliefs Knowledge created by researcher Knower can not be separated from the known Goal of research is better understanding of the phenomena being studied Multiple meanings are acceptable Human behavior is voluntary as free choice increases predictability decreases Good interpretations are those that convince Theories research explore the web of meaning constituting human experience Qualitative research methods A Covering Laws Approach Social Scientist a No choice b Believe people communicate the way they do because some prior condition caused them to respond in a certain way c Communication is governed by forces that are predictable and generalizable d Forces are called laws a Covering laws approach to communication is based on the assumption that there are certain forces or conditions that dictate behavior b A communication scholar who uses covering law approach is essentially trying to uncover the cause and effect relationships between communication variables c Major tool used by covering laws to test theories is the experimental paradigm Types of laws i Probablistic ii Positivistic 1 Deterministic if X then Y B Rules Approach Humanist 1 Based on probability If X then probably Y under certain condition Z Tells us what kinds of behavior are appropriate in a given context i Paradigms are intellectual traditions that guide ways of knowing or discovering the world ii Want to understand why people choose to follow or not follow rules iii Want to understand the affect of following or not following rules iv How people creates or negotiate rules b Choice proactive not reactive c People make purposeful choices about their actions to achieve goals d Choices are made following social rules for decisions e Goals achieved by following rules i Goal action linkages f Rules are context specific C Systems Approach Humanist a Human behavior part of system i Need to understand system b Free will constrained by system in which they operate i Law Like ii Rules
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