-
"Even though a theory might sound plausible, we can't be sure it's valid until it's been tested. In science, theory and research walk hand in hand."
-
Behavioral scientist
- Describe human conduct as occurring because of forces outside the individual's awareness.
- Describe behavior as the response to a prior stimulus.
- A scholar who applies the scientific method to describe, predict and explain recurring forms of human behavior
- Training in empirical research
- Conducts experiments
- use textual analysis and ethnography
- Human choice is problematic for the behavioral scientist because as individual freedom goes up, predictability of behavior goes down.
-
Rhetorician
- A scholar who studies the ways in which symbolic forms can be used to identify with people, or to persuade them toward a certain point of view.
- Trained in rhetorical theory and criticism
- Interprets texts
-
Objectivists (scientist)
- Objective Scholars believe they can discover the one reality that exists.(main difference between objective and interpretive scholars)
- Social Scientist
- Assumes truth is singular and accessible through unbiased observation
- Uncovers cause-and-effect relationships
- Uses surveys, experiments and quantitative data to predict and explain
- Testable hypothesis
- Practicle utility
- Simplicity
-
Interpretivist (humanist)
- The liguistic work of assigning meaning or value to communicative texts; assumes that multiple meanings or truths are possible.
- Describe and understand human behavior
- "Free will is ever changing"
- Include rhetoricians, humanists, postmodernits or critical scholars
- Tend to use explanatory phrases such as in order to and so that because they attribute a person's action to sonscious intent.
-
Burke's dramatistic pentad
- A five pronged method of rhetorical criticism to analyze a speaker's persuasive strategy--
- Act, Scene, Agent, Agency, Purpose
- Can help to provide a framework for interpreting a developing drama . The symbolic action moves through different stages.
-
Source Credibility Theory
Carl Hovland & Walter Weiss
- Source credibility refers to the audience perception of the competence and trust-worthiness of a speaker or writer.
- Perceived competence and trustworthiness of a speaker or writer that affects how the message is received.
- Theory suggests that expertise and trustworthiness are the two main ingredients of perceived credibility.
-
Theory of opinion
Herbert Kelman
When people forge a bond of identification with a highly attractive figure, they will gladly embrace his persuasive pitch.
-
Identification
A perceived role relationship that affects self-image and attitudes; based on attractiveness of the role model and sustained if the relationship remains salient.
-
Critical
Describe, understand, critique and offer ways to reform communication.
-
Validity
Did you measure what you intended to measure?
-
Reliability
Consistent findings every time you run a study
-
Humanistic scholarship
- Study of what it is like to be another person in a specific time and place
- Do interpretive analysis, scholarship concerned with meaning
- The roots of humanism are threatened by a hightly retricted view of choice.
-
Epistemology
- The search for knowledge
- The study of the origin, nature, method, and limits of knowledge
- Scientists assume that Truth is singular, not dependent on local conditions.
-
Determinism
- The assumption that behavior is caused by heredity and environment "Biology is Destiny"& Environment "pleasure stamps in, pain stamps out"
- Debate the question of human choice
-
Epirical Evidence
Data collected through direct observation
-
Ontology
- Assumptions about human communications
- assumptions should be noted w/in your report. Bias should be reported.
-
Critical Theorists
Scholars who use theory to reveal unjust communication practices that create or perpetuate an imbalance of power.
-
Quantitative Research
- Scientists favor quantifiable experiments and surveys.
- through experiments, scientists seek to establish a cause and effect relationship by manipulating an independent variable in a tightly controlled situation in order to detemine its effecct on a dependent variable. Results are measured.
- Surveys rely on self reported data to discover who people are and what they think, feel and intend to do.
- It is difficult to support cause and effect relations with surveys, but survey data more closely resembles "real life" than experimentation does.
-
Qualitative Research
Qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or to interpret, phenomena in terms of the meaning people bring to them.
-
Research Hypothesis
Hunches about how the world works and can be tested, temporarily comits researchers to a specific prediction.
|
|