Whitley: Chap 1:Beh Science: Theory, Research, Application

1. Whitley: Chap 1:Beh Science: Theory, Research, Application • Science – • Goals, Key values, Scientific approach • Theories • Components, Chars, Purpose, Criteria • Research • Process, Evaluation, Inferences • Theory, Research &Application • Interdependence, Research, & Application • Questions

2. Science: three aspects • Research (knowledge) • Theory (organizes it, -> understanding) • Application of knowledge

3. Goals of Science: • Description • Understanding • Prediction • Control

4. Goals of Science: • Description • Define, differentiate, record, show relationships • Understanding • Hypothesize relationships • Temporal order, other plausible causes • Induce a theory (see Kerlinger) • Prediction • Use theory to hypothesize (GRE -> GPA?) • Control • Skinner: from rats to college students

5. Science: Key values • Empiricism: what is it? • Skepticism: skeptical about fusion, ESP? • Tentativeness: women more persuasible? • Publicness: Pons & Fleishman • No replication?

6. Scientific Approaches • Logical positivism: What is it? • Or • Humanism • Dogmatism • Dogmatic v. Expert authority • Tenacity • Intuition • Common sense

7. Observe Describe Understand Predict Verify Revise Control Empirical observation Organize observations Theory Hypothesize Test (experiment) Revise theory Apply theory / findings Scientific Process

8. Theories • Suppositions about how vars are related • See Kerlinger definitions • Components • Assumptions (implicit & explicit) • Behavior is goal directed (Locke & Latham) • Paradigms • Blank slate or innate causes?

9. Theory: More Components • Hypothetical Constructs • Concepts -> constructs • (e.g. hostile v. friendly) • Unidimensional (what is one?) • Multidimensional (leadership? ) • Muli-faceted (Type A: competitive/hostile)

10. Theory: components con’t • Definitions • Theoretical (narrative) • Operational • Aggression (Buss) • Give examples of narrative and operational

11. Theory • Propositions • Directional Relations among constructs • Which of Locke & Latham’s is correct • See fig 1-2 p. 15 • Causal propositions • IV -> DV • Mediating (comes between IV & DV) • (IV: Goal accept – work motivation –> DV: Perf) • Moderating (change or limit rel between IV & DV) • E.g ability

12. Theory: Characteristics • Specification • How well defined are vars and relationships? • Scope • Broad or narrow • Locke & Lathan (GS for work performance)

13. Theory: Purposes • Organize knowledge • Around general principles • (e.g. reinforcement theory) • Extend knowledge • Modify theory to improve prediction • Convergence of theories: • E.g. attribution and learned helplessness • Guide research and action • Generalize to other settings, populations

14. Theory: Evaluation Criteria(Shaw & Costanzo, ’82) • Logical consistency – among assumptions • Falsifiability – to test theory • Agreement – with known data • Utility – what’s it good for? • For understanding • Stimulating research

15. Research • Empirical • Descriptive, relational, experimental • Theoretical or trial and error • Library • archival • Literature

16. Research Process: • Research question • Research strategy • Data collection • Data analysis / interpretation • Report results / findings

17. Evaluating Research(Campbell & Stanley ’79) • Construct validity • Internal validity • Statistical conclusion validity • External validity

18. Inference • Must infer from results • Cannot “prove” theory • Always tentative • Will the sun come up tomorrow? What’s the probability? • Probabilistic assertions

19. Theory: Interdependence • Theory • Induction and deduction • Research • Theoretical • Applied • Draws from all fields: Clinical, counseling, I/O etc.

20. Summary • Goals of science • understand behavior • Theory • Assumptions, hypothetical constructs, propositions • Research steps (five) • Interdependence of • Theory, research and application