Example 2 (Sex and Perceptiveness)I. Observation: Women are more perceptive about interpersonal matters than men a. Generalization, not stereotypeb. Evidence on interpersonal construct differentiation, other-adaptiveness, politeness and faceworkII. Possible Explanationsa. Maybe its actually genetic- DNA, etc. b. Maybe it’s a survival thing:i. Men could survive by fighting well, but:ii. Women had to be able to foresee danger c. Maybe it’s a cultural thingi. Women expected to do family maintenance ii. Women always in charge of intimate relationships, so have more experience III. Notice that this example, dealing with delicate issues of race and gender, raises questions of morality and justice IV. Our Goals for Communication Theorya. Accuracy: a better understanding of our world b. Aesthetic: some theories are “cooler” than others i. Or heuristic, how stimulating it is, how much research it generates c. Morality: social science should aim at making a better world Lave& March Chapter 2I. Speculation a. General method: observe, then speculateb. Abductive inference:i. A, B, and C happenedii. Process P would explain A, B, and C iii. So maybe P is going on II. Friendship Analysis a. Ex. 1: Observe: Friends live nearby in residence halls i. Speculate 1: Friends ask to live nearby1. This would, in fact, account for the data2. What further consequences would there be?3. Not, what’s the evidence that this happened?ii. Further consequences:1. Should be more pronounced in a jr./sr. dorm than a freshman dorm 2. But it isn’t. So speculate again 3.
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