04:192:200 Lecture 2: WHAT IS THEORY?

• School: Rutgers University
• Department: Communication
• Course: 04:192:200
• Professor: C R A I G Scott

Document Summary

Speculation, conjecture, best guesses about how and why things work in the way they do. Individuals reasoning/ explanation to make sense of their world. Can be a good or bad theory (non expert) Similar to lay and working theories, except: Based on research/ proof beyond personal experience. Greek meaning a view or to see . Definitions of theory will depend on assumptions of theorist. Points of convergence and divergence (agreement and disagreement) Communication theories share common goal of attempting to answer questions regarding how and why communicative processes work in the ways they do (miller, 2005, p. 24) Theories are abstractions of the social world (broad generalization) Theories are constructions of people (human error) Theories are both lenses and mirrors of the world. There is nothing so practical as a good theory . Tradeoffs made between accuracy, generalizability, and simplicity. Abstract theories are developed early, then tested with empirical observations. Theoretical abstractions are grounded on extensive empirical observation.