Meta Theory Meta Meta theory Something about that thing Body of speculation on the nature of research Metatheoretical discussion debates What communication behavior should be observed How should it be observed What should the goals of theory research be Metatheoretical assumptions Ontological reality o Branch of philosophy concerned with studying the nature of o Do humans make real choices o Is human experience basically individual or social Communication is a social endeavor we work together to create meaning o Is human experience contextualized Does communication look the same in each context Epistemological o Branch of philosophy that studies knowledge How do people know what they claim to know o Can knowledge exist before experience Can we know about communication without having any experience with it o Can knowledge be certain Scientist s used to be certain that the earth was flat but with more evidence they are now certain that it is round Some people believe that knowledge isn t certain and it has the ability to change over time o What process does knowledge arise Mentalism rationalism arises through the power of the human mind ex People that look at text Empiricism arises from observations ex Reading it on a survey or a real life experience Constructivism arises through the intersection of our experiences and ideas ex Dating someone and forget their birthday and they give you a hard time about forgetting and say I ll never do that again Social constructivism knowledge together create laws values we abide by negotiate knowledge create can change over time ex Living together before marriage was taboo in 1950 s from relationship to relationship you re socially constructing a new reality o Is knowledge best conceived in parts of in wholes Ex People that believe that we can look at parts of communication can study the sender another the receiver etc and can come together and figure it out Ex People that believe you have to look at the whole have to study the whole picture to understand it Axiological o Branch of philosophy studying values roles that values should play in the theory and research o Is research value free Should the researcher impose their values on the theory process or research processes No all we re doing is observation people in this world communication and reporting on what we see Yes I see something that I think is wrong and I m going to speak up about it and create theories about it o Does the practice of research effect that which we study Some people believe that no I m just watching what I study o Should research attempt social change Social change Should attempt social change when there is something amiss in society Others just don t do it non bias not that they don t believe they shouldn t do that World Views and Assumptions World View 1 Empirical Social Scientist The way we answer the Ontological Epistemological Axiological will determine whether we consider ourselves to be a social scientist or a humanist rhetorician world view o Consistent in the way they answer the questions Social scientist he or she tries to pattern the way we do theory and research after the humanist Knowledge based on observation Phenomenon are waiting to discovered Reality is distinct from the scientist but scientist discovers reality o Through observation o They don t create it Structure steps to discovery Collectively scientists understand the world parts vs whole Social scientists consistent with epistemology because it s about observation behavior shaped by forces beyond our control Seek universal laws Goal of research is explanation and prediction test hypothesis Test theoretical explanations using quantitative research methods Ontological assumption o Do humans make real choices Stimulus response and people act the same they don t have a choice Ex If you hit me I will always hit you back o Is human experience basically individual or social It s individual study individuals responses to stimuli Ex When you go into a lab you take the survey on your own and they study the individual o Is human experience contextualized Not contextualized Knowledge is certain and we can predict then the context doesn t matter Epistemological assumption o Can knowledge exist before experience No the scientist doesn t know anything until they discover it o Can knowledge be certain yes o What process does knowledge arise Through observation empiricism o Is knowledge best conceived in parts of in wholes Parts collectively scientists understand the whole by adding up the parts Axiological assumption o Is research value free Should the researcher impose their values on the theory process or research processes Value free Filter any information through his own values or opinion They don t separate themselves from the research process They interpret information with their own values Their research is very subjective o Does the practice of research effect that which we study Inquiry doesn t affect research process o Should research attempt social change Not attempt social change they re not against it they World view 2 Humanist just don t do it All rhetoricians are humanists but not all humanists are rhetoricians o Humanists are broader then rhetoricians Knowledge is created by the researcher Knower can not be separated by the known because they re the ones that are thinking and creating o Study text of the speeches and working with words and manipulating words Both fall under epistemology experience multiple meanings are acceptable theories research explore the web of meaning constituting human o good interpretations are those that convince human behavior is voluntary as free choice increases predictability goal or research is better understanding od the phenomena being decreases studied o sometimes social change qualitative research methods o interviews o look for themes to emerge from what people say Ontological assumption o Do humans make real choices Yes they have a choice o Is human experience basically individual or social Social study negotiation creation of meaning between people o Is human experience contextualized It is multiple meanings are acceptable based on interpretation and context Epistemological assumption o Can knowledge exist before experience No humanist creates knowledge through interaction with text o Can knowledge be certain Knowledge is not certain o What process does knowledge arise Knowledge gained through mentalist constructivism and social constructivism o Is knowledge
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