Nomothetic theory and practical theory

1
Nomothetic theory and practical theory

• are two theoretical ideals each with their own
  research modes, assumptions and different
  approaches to concepts, explanations and
  principles.

2
Nomothetic theory,

• the dominant approach in the experimental natural
  sciences that has made inroads in the social
  sciences as well, seeks universal or general laws.

3
Traditional science

• known as the hypothetico-deductive method forms
  the variable-analytic tradition and is based on
  four processes.
• Developing questions.
• Forming hypotheses that are falsifable, framed in
  such a way that potential rejection is possible
• Testing the hypotheses.
• Formulating theory.
• Control and manipulation are operations designed
  to eliminate extraneous influences and to include
  necessary ones in testing.

4

• Epistemologically, nomothetic theory tends to
  espouse empiricist and rationalist ideas treating
  reality as distinct from the human investigator,
  privileging objectivity and proffering precise
  operational definitions.
• Axiologically, nomothetic theories take a
  value-free stance
• Onotologically, scientific theories tend to
  assume that behavior is basically determined by
  and responsive to biology and the environment.

5
Operationism

• means that the concepts in traditional science
  are precisely defined and stated in ways that
  explain how to observe them.

6
Measurement

• the quantifiable detection of differences, for a
  nomothetic theory is evaluated in terms of two
  criteria.
• Validity, the degree to which an observation
  measures what it is supposed to measure.
• Reliability, the degree to which the construct is
  measured accurately and consistently.

7
Explanations

• are almost exclusively causal in nomothetic
  theories
• Causal explanations posit a linear relationship
  between cause and effect.
• They are expressed in terms of covering laws that
  enable researchers to make predictions,
  statements of expected outcomes about future
  events.

8

• In practice, realizing that absolutely universal
  statements are unrealistic, few social scientists
  seek covering laws but instead pursue statistical
  relationships among variables and laws based on
  probabilistic principles.

9
Practical theory represents the opposite ideal
from nomothetic theory

• It, is designed to capture and understand the
  rich differences among situations and alternative
  courses of goal-oriented actions.
• Practical theory is premised on five tenets

10
Practical theory is premised on five tenets.

• Action is voluntary. Humans are in large part
  self-motivating and therefore their future
  behavior is hard to predict based on outside
  variables.
• Knowledge is socially created. Communication
  theories are created by communication the very
  process they are designed to explain.
• Theories are historical reflecting the settings
  and times in which they are created. As times
  changes, so will theories.
• Theories affect the reality they are covering for
  theorists are part of the world they create.
• Theories are value laden and never neutral.

11
Epistemologically, practical theory assumes
people take an active role in creating knowledge.

• Knowledge does not arise out of discovery but
  from the interaction between knower and known.
• These theories tend to be humanistic and
  subjective and therefore eschew universal or
  covering laws.

12
Ontologically

• practical theory assume that individuals create
  meanings, have intentions, make choices and act
  in situations in deliberate ways.

13
Axiologically

• most practical theories tend to be
  value-conscious

14

• Acknowledging that important concepts cannot be
  measured operationally, concepts in most
  practical theories are used as a kind of
  organizing framework to classify the dynamic
  interpretations and actions of people in real
  situations.

15

• Explanations tend to be premised on practical
  necessity, rules and actions that are
  goal-oriented and pragmatic.
• Principles in practical theories differ from
  nomothetic ones in featuring a fourth dimension,
  a guideline for reflection and action. In fact,
  when a theory includes principles, we can say
  that it is a practical theory.

16
Several criteria can be used to evaluate
communication theories.

• Theoretical scope is the generality or breadth of
  a theory.
• A theory can have generality by covering a broad
  domain.
• It can also have generality by covering a large
  number of instances of a narrower domain.

17
A theory's appropriateness

• may also be evaluated by how consistent its
  assumptions are with its methods and questions.
• The heuristic value of a theory is how useful it
  has been in generating research and ideas.

18
Validity is the truth of a theory, but there are
a number of types of validity.

• One is the pragmatic value of the theory
• Another is correspondence or fit between the
  theory and reality
• The third is generalizability or application to a
  range of events.
• Parsimony is the logical simplicity of a theory.
• Openness is the degree to which a theory is
  tentative and open to dialogue with other
  approaches.