The Idea of Theory

The Idea of Theory
Communication Theory
 Can refer to a single theory, or it can be used to designate the collective wisdom
found in the entire body of theories related to communication
Theory
 Any organized set of concepts, explanations, and principles that depicts some
aspect of human experience (in its broadest sense)
 A unified, or coherent, body of propositions that provide a philosophically
consistent picture of a subject
Nature of Communication Theory
 Multi-theoretical orientation
 Theories are abstractions.
- They reduce experience to a set of categories and, as a result, always leave
something out.
 A theory focuses our attention on certain things --- patterns, relationships,
variables --- and ignores others.
- Theories function as guidebooks that help us understand, explain, interpret,
judge, and participate in the communication happening around us.
Nature of Theory
 Theories are also constructions.

- They are created by people, not ordained by some higher power.
 They represent various ways observers see their environments; theories do not
capture reality.
 They are less a record of reality than a record of scholars’ conceptualizations
about that reality.
 “The formation of a theory is not just the discovery of a hidden fact; the theory
is a way of looking at the facts, or organizing and representing them.” (Kaplan,
cited by Littlejohn, 2011)
Nature of Theory
 “a theory is a way of seeing and thinking about the world; as such, it is

better seen as the ‘lens’ one uses in observation than as a ‘mirror’ of nature.
 Theories are intimately tied to action.
 How we think – our theories – guide how we act; and how we act – our
practices – guide how we think.
 “Theory contains a set of instructions for reading the world and acting in
it.” (Anderson, cited by Littlejohn, 2011)
 A theory governs how we approach our worlds.
Dimensions of Theory
1. Philosophical assumptions, or basic beliefs that underlie the theory

2. Concepts, or building blocks
3. Explanations, or dynamic connections made by the theory
4. Principles, or guidelines for action
Philosophical Assumptions
Three major types:

1. Assumptions about epistemology, or questions about knowledge
2. Assumptions about ontology, or questions of existence
3. Assumptions about axiology, or questions of value
Epistemology
 branch of philosophy that studies knowledge, or how people know what they
claim to know
Common questions of epistemological concern:

 To what extent can knowledge exist before experience?
 To what extent can knowledge be certain?
 By what process does knowledge arise?
 Is knowledge best conceived in parts or wholes?
 To what extent is knowledge explicit?
Ontology
 branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of being
 In comm., ontology centers on the nature of human social interaction because the
way a theorist conceptualizes interaction depends in large measure on how the
communicator is viewed.
Issues:
 To what extent do humans make real choices?
 whether human behaviour is best understood in terms of states or traits
 Is human experience primarily individual or social?
 To what extent is communication contextual?
Axiology
 branch of philo. concerned with the study of values
Issues:
 Can theory be value-free?
 To what extent does the process of inquiry itself affect what is being seen?
 Should scholarship be designed to achieve change, or is its function simply to
generate knowledge?
Concepts
 Concepts – terms and definitions – tell us what the theorist is looking at and what
is considered important.
Example:
Expectancy-violation theory
 The theory predicts how people react when their expectations about an interaction
are somehow violated.
Important concepts:
 Expectancy
 Violation
 Non-verbal behavior
Concepts
 Enacted behaviour
 Heightened arousal
 Reward valence
 Interpretation
 Evaluation
 Reciprocity
 Credibility
 Attitude change
 Context
Explanations
 where the theorist identifies regularities or patterns in the relationships among

variables
 answers the question “why?”
Two of the most common types:
1. Causal explanation – events are connected as causal relationships, with one
variable seen as an outcome or result of the other
2. Practical explanation – explains actions as goal-related, with the action designed
to achieve a future state
Principles
 a guideline that enables you to interpret an event, make judgments about what is
happening, and then decide how to act in the situation
Parts:
1. It identifies a situation or event.
2. It includes a set of norms or values.
3. It asserts a connection between a range of actions and possible consequences.
Ex.: (1) When giving a public speech (situation); (2) your audience is very important
(value); and (3) you should make an attempt to adapt to the knowledge, attitudes, and
actions of the audience.

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The Idea of Theory

 Theories are also constructions.

 “a theory is a way of seeing and thinking about the world; as such, it is

1. Philosophical assumptions, or basic beliefs that underlie the theory

Three major types:

Common questions of epistemological concern:

 where the theorist identifies regularities or patterns in the relationships among

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