Spring 2011 Study Guide 1COMM 402Study Guide for Exam 1Lecture 1Types of Logical Thinking- Abduction: generate a hypothesis, collect data, and make a correlation with the combinationo Abductive/argumentative Arguments: what you do to generate a hypothesis (ex- police officer comes to crime scene and detective concludes a hypothesis that is nowhere certain) “best guess”- Induction: summarize the datao Inductive Arguments: summarize data and make conclusions- Deduction: General to specifico Deductive Arguments: take general premises and generate hypothesis and other generalizationsHow do arguments relate to theory and data?- You have a theory based on data and that is what you create your arguments from- Theories offer premises and data test the premise, therefore the conclusion is the new theoryProcedures: how you go about testingMethods: how to test the theory, best through natural observationPredictions: what you believe the patterns’ implications will beSyllogism: an instance of a form of reasoning in which a conclusion is drawn; derived from 2 premisesFalsification: trying to avoid a theory by finding things or instances that are false in relation to the theoryControl Groups: groups that we observe and reference in comparison to the test implemented groupsTest Verification: being able to compare the tested subjects in the control group in order to verify the implications and results of the generated theory, and being able to validate testing; replication of studies – every time you do it, it comes up with the same resultsRandom Assignment: random assignment of participants and control groups to avoid biasesComparison Group: the same as a control groupPre-tests: (pre test/post test experiment)Validity: making sure something is true, acceptable, and validEthos: the qualities that make you credible and believableQuantitative research: research where you have something measureable in numbers…if mike dresses up as a clown, we can measure how close people sit next to him by measuring the distance people sit next to himSpring 2011 Study Guide 2Qualitative research: seeing how people look at mike, the content of the results, what people say to him, etc. – it cannot be measured in numbers; Interactions, surveys, interviewsCritical research: compare alternative models on a different prediction, compare two theories to the experiment and which theory explained it betterCritical experiment: using two theories to get the best outcomeIn terms of argument quality, what is the difference between two-group no pretest studiesand one-shot case studies?How do researchers report their success or failure in supporting hypotheses after analyzing the results of their experiments? Why is explaining whether their findings supported or refuted the hypothesis so difficult for researchers?- They submit their findings for peer review- They are supposed to be generalized so that they can be applied to different situations. Must be able to generalize a modelWhy can several models describe the same situation?- Models are supposed to be general and not apply to just one topic.- This way they can be tested and falsified to determine the trustworthiness of the modelUnderstand the relationship between argument and method - Argument is a method to find a conclusion- We try to falsify (popper), not verify (logical positivism)- The more falsification efforts something survives, the more confidence we have inthe argument- This is a community argumentWhat are the qualities of a good theory?- Truth beauty/coolness and justiceWhat are the qualities of good data (reliable and valid)?- Authentic, reliable, and valid- Even recognizing the phenomena is not simple; operationalization can be controversial (ex: relational happiness – scale? Duration? Overservers’ judgement?- Investigator interpretative or distanced? (ex: data from respondents points of viewor quasiobjective?)Spring 2011 Study Guide 3What is an operationalization?-What is falsification and why is it important?Lave & March (textbook) Chapter 1What is a model? What are some necessary skills for model-building? What are four common models the book will consider? - A model:o is a simplified picture of a part of the real world. It has some of the characteristics of the real world, but not all of them. It is simpler than the phenomena it is supposed to represent or explain.o Only has some characteristics of reality, so it is natural to have several different models of the same thing, each of which considers a different aspecto Construct models in order to explain and appreciate the worldo Speculative models are central to science, history, and literature, and are apart of normal existence- Necessary skills for model building:o Ability to abstract from reality to a model Problems in social science are complex and frequently personal. It is necessary to form abstract representations of a delicately intricate model.o Derive implications from within a modelo Competence at evaluating a model Accuracy, morality, aestheticso Familiarity with some common models Know how to apply them to a wide variety of situationsWhat are the four general social science models that can help us understand what causes human behavior? They are covered in separate chapters by Lave and March.- Individual Choice: the process by which individuals choose among alternatives, make decisions, and solve problems. Rational choice under risk (reaction to persuasive messages) - Exchange: a special case of individual and collective choice. Trade resources, cost/benefit (relationship maintenance)- Adaptation: modification in behavior by individuals and collectivities in response to experience. Probability learning model (change – relational, attitudinal, personal, development)- Diffusion: the spread of behaviors, attitudes, knowledge, and information throughout a society. (rumors, fads, opinions)Spring 2011 Study Guide 4What are our goals for communication theory?- To explain behavior and identify possible models for reaction that have accuracy, morality, and aesthetics.Lave & March, Chapter 2What are the steps in the model-building process? What is a speculative abduction? Whatare the three rules of thumb for model-building? - Step 1: Observe some facts- Step 2: Look at the facts as though they were the end result of some unknown process (model). Then speculate about processes that might have produced such a result- Step 3: Deduce other results