Read Books Online and Download eBooks, EPub, PDF, Mobi, Kindle, Text Full Free.
Formal Theory Construction
Download Formal Theory Construction full books in PDF, epub, and Kindle. Read online Formal Theory Construction ebook anywhere anytime directly on your device. Fast Download speed and no annoying ads. We cannot guarantee that every ebooks is available!
Book Synopsis Formal Theory in Sociology by : Jerald Hage
Download or read book Formal Theory in Sociology written by Jerald Hage and published by SUNY Press. This book was released on 1994-01-01 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A group of renowned sociological theorists analyze why the attempts to make sociological theory formal in the 1960s and early 1970s failed. This becomes not only an unusual and interesting analysis in the sociology of knowledge, but several of the articles move to the level of analyzing the entire discipline, explaining why positivism did not take hold and what are the distinctive characteristics of sociology as a discipline. Anyone interested in sociology as a discipline and more specifically sociological theory will find interesting analytical models.
Book Synopsis Formal Theories of Truth by : J. C. Beall
Download or read book Formal Theories of Truth written by J. C. Beall and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018 with total page 151 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Truth is one of the oldest and most central topics in philosophy. Formal theories explore the connections between truth and logic, and they address truth-theoretic paradoxes such as the Liar. Three leading philosopher-logicians now present a concise overview of the main issues and ideas in formal theories of truth. Beall, Glanzberg, and Ripley explain key logical techniques on which such formal theories rely, providing the formal and logical background needed to develop formal theories of truth. They examine the most important truth-theoretic paradoxes, including the Liar paradoxes. They explore approaches that keep principles of truth simple while relying on nonclassical logic; approaches that preserve classical logic but do so by complicating the principles of truth; and approaches based on substructural logics that change the shape of the target consequence relation itself. Finally, inconsistency and revision theories are reviewed, and contrasted with the approaches previously discussed. For any reader who has a basic grounding in logic, this book offers an ideal guide to formal theories of truth.
Book Synopsis Primer in Theory Construction by : Paul Davidson Reynolds
Download or read book Primer in Theory Construction written by Paul Davidson Reynolds and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-07-02 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Primer in Theory Construction is for those who have already studied one or more of the social, behavioral, or natural sciences, but have no formal introduction to the way theories are constructed, stated, tested, and connected together to form a scientific body of knowledge. The author discusses scientific theories in general terms, but also addresses the special challenges of developing scientific knowledge about social and human phenomena. This Allyn and Bacon Classics Edition contains the complete text of the original copyright 1971 version, with new typography and page design.
Book Synopsis Theory Construction and Model-Building Skills by : James Jaccard
Download or read book Theory Construction and Model-Building Skills written by James Jaccard and published by Guilford Publications. This book was released on 2020-02-06 with total page 545 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book provides young scientists with tools to assist them in the practical aspects of theory construction. We take an informal journey through the cognitive heuristics, tricks of the trade, and ways of thinking that we have found to be useful in developing theories-essentially, conceptualizations-that can advance knowledge in the social sciences. This book is intended to provide the instructor with a useful source for helping students come up with ideas for research and for fine-tuning the resultant theories that emerge from such thinking. An objective of this book is to move toward a needed balance in the emphases given to theory construction and theory testing"--
Book Synopsis Contemporary Sociological Theory by : Doyle Paul Johnson
Download or read book Contemporary Sociological Theory written by Doyle Paul Johnson and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-03-29 with total page 632 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume is designed as a basic text for upper level and graduate courses in contemporary sociological theory. Most sociology programs require their majors to take at least one course in sociological theory, sometimes two. A typical breakdown is between classical and contemporary theory. Theory is perhaps one of the bro- est areas of sociological inquiry and serves as a foundation or framework for more specialized study in specific substantive areas of the field. In addition, the study of sociological theory can readily be related to various aspects of other social science disciplines as well. From the very beginning sociology has been characterized by alternative theoretical perspectives. Classical theory includes the European founding figures of the dis- pline whose works were produced during the later half of the nineteenth century and the first couple of decades of the twentieth century plus early American th- rists. For most of the second half of the twentieth century, a fairly high consensus has developed among American sociologists regarding these major founders, p- ticularly with regard to the works of Durkheim and Weber in analyzing the overall society and of Simmel in analyzing social interaction processes. Since the late 1960s and early 1970s the influence of Marx has also been recognized. Recent decades have also witnessed an increased emphasis on the important contributions of several pioneering feminist perspectives in the early years of sociology.
Book Synopsis The Oxford Handbook of Multimethod and Mixed Methods Research Inquiry by : Sharlene Nagy Hesse-Biber
Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Multimethod and Mixed Methods Research Inquiry written by Sharlene Nagy Hesse-Biber and published by Oxford Library of Psychology. This book was released on 2015 with total page 777 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Offering a variety of innovative methods and tools, this book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date presentation on multi and mixed methods research.
Book Synopsis Causal Models in the Social Sciences by : H.M. Blalock Jr.
Download or read book Causal Models in the Social Sciences written by H.M. Blalock Jr. and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-07-28 with total page 461 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Causal models are formal theories stating the relationships between precisely defined variables, and have become an indispensable tool of the social scientist. This collection of articles is a course book on the causal modeling approach to theory construction and data analysis. H. M. Blalock, Jr. summarizes the then-current developments in causal model utilization in sociology, political science, economics, and other disciplines. This book provides a comprehensive multidisciplinary picture of the work on causal models. It seeks to address the problem of measurement in the social sciences and to link theory and research through the development of causal models.Organized into five sections (Simple Recursive Models, Path Analysis, Simultaneous Equations Techniques, The Causal Approach to Measurement Error, and Other Complications), this volume contains twenty-seven articles (eight of which were specially commissioned). Each section begins with an introduction explaining the concepts to be covered in the section and links them to the larger subject. It provides a general overview of the theory and application of causal modeling.Blalock argues for the development of theoretical models that can be operationalized and provide verifiable predictions. Many of the discussions of this subject that occur in other literature are too technical for most social scientists and other scholars who lack a strong background in mathematics. This book attempts to integrate a few of the less technical papers written by econometricians such as Koopmans, Wold, Strotz, and Fisher with discussions of causal approaches in the social and biological sciences. This classic text by Blalock is a valuable source of material for those interested in the issue of measurement in the social sciences and the construction of mathematical models.
Book Synopsis Theory Construction in Social Personality Psychology by : Arie W. Kruglanski
Download or read book Theory Construction in Social Personality Psychology written by Arie W. Kruglanski and published by Psychology Press. This book was released on 2016-02-04 with total page 127 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This special issue features papers that offer deeply felt, valuable perspectives on diverse aspects of theory construction in social-personality psychology. The goal is to furnish a basis for starting a discussion about the considerable challenges of theorizing, the ways of meeting those challenges, and the great rewards that successful theorizing offers to the discipline as a whole.
Book Synopsis Contemporary Sociological Theory by : Doyle Paul Johnson
Download or read book Contemporary Sociological Theory written by Doyle Paul Johnson and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-04-23 with total page 631 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume is designed as a basic text for upper level and graduate courses in contemporary sociological theory. Most sociology programs require their majors to take at least one course in sociological theory, sometimes two. A typical breakdown is between classical and contemporary theory. Theory is perhaps one of the bro- est areas of sociological inquiry and serves as a foundation or framework for more specialized study in specific substantive areas of the field. In addition, the study of sociological theory can readily be related to various aspects of other social science disciplines as well. From the very beginning sociology has been characterized by alternative theoretical perspectives. Classical theory includes the European founding figures of the dis- pline whose works were produced during the later half of the nineteenth century and the first couple of decades of the twentieth century plus early American th- rists. For most of the second half of the twentieth century, a fairly high consensus has developed among American sociologists regarding these major founders, p- ticularly with regard to the works of Durkheim and Weber in analyzing the overall society and of Simmel in analyzing social interaction processes. Since the late 1960s and early 1970s the influence of Marx has also been recognized. Recent decades have also witnessed an increased emphasis on the important contributions of several pioneering feminist perspectives in the early years of sociology.
Book Synopsis Making Sense of Social Theory by : Charles H. Powers
Download or read book Making Sense of Social Theory written by Charles H. Powers and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2010 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Making Sense of Social Theory opens by carefully exploring what it means to follow the scientific method in a field like sociology. The author goes on to analyze sociology as a genuine science with a body of explanatory insights. It does this by (a) considering the major insights of key thinkers (including Marx, Durkheim, Weber, and Mead, among others), (b) distinguishing different analytical frameworks (especially exchange, symbolic interactionism, conflict, and structural-functionalism) in terms of their underlying assumptions, and (c) revealing compelling social science explanatory insights in the form of predictive principles that can be applied in understanding processes of change at work in the social world (from face-to-face encounters to major historical trends). Sociological theory is applied in ways that make its relevance and power apparent. In reading this book, theory no longer stands divorced from real-world research or practice. Making Sense of Social Theory clearly establishes the pertinence of sociology's great theoretical insights for all social science researches and practitioners. Book jacket.
Book Synopsis How to Build Social Science Theories by : Pamela J. Shoemaker
Download or read book How to Build Social Science Theories written by Pamela J. Shoemaker and published by SAGE Publications. This book was released on 2003-12-10 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Click ′Additional Materials′ to read the foreword by Jerald Hage As straightforward as its title, How to Build Social Science Theories sidesteps the well-traveled road of theoretical examination by demonstrating how new theories originate and how they are elaborated. Essential reading for students of social science research, this book traces theories from their most rudimentary building blocks (terminology and definitions) through multivariable theoretical statements, models, the role of creativity in theory building, and how theories are used and evaluated. Authors Pamela J. Shoemaker, James William Tankard, Jr., and Dominic L. Lasorsa intend to improve research in many areas of the social sciences by making research more theory-based and theory-oriented. The book begins with a discussion of concepts and their theoretical and operational definitions. It then proceeds to theoretical statements, including hypotheses, assumptions, and propositions. Theoretical statements need theoretical linkages and operational linkages; this discussion begins with bivariate relationships, as well as three-variable, four-variable, and further multivariate relationships. The authors also devote chapters to the creative component of theory-building and how to evaluate theories. How to Build Social Science Theories is a sophisticated yet readable analysis presented by internationally known experts in social science methodology. It is designed primarily as a core text for graduate and advanced undergraduate courses in communication theory. It will also be a perfect addition to any course dealing with theory and research methodology across the social sciences. Additionally, professional researchers will find it an indispensable guide to the genesis, dissemination, and evaluation of social science theories.
Book Synopsis Theory Construction and Model-Building Skills by : James Jaccard
Download or read book Theory Construction and Model-Building Skills written by James Jaccard and published by Guilford Press. This book was released on 2019-12-17 with total page 546 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This accessible, hands-on text has now been revised and updated, with expanded coverage of topics including how theory may emerge from exploratory data analysis. The book prepares graduate students, new researchers, and even seasoned investigators to develop their own theories and build on existing ones. Concrete strategies are provided to help readers generate ideas, define constructs, and think through relationships and processes that link constructs. Compelling examples from multiple disciplines illustrate the use of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods orientations to theory construction. The text also offers practical advice for writing effectively about theories in papers and grant applications. Readers learn by doing via application and concept exercises, demonstration boxes, and practical guidelines. The extensive companion website (www.theory-construction.com) includes PowerPoint slides of all of the book's figures, primers on advanced topics, video demonstrations, supplemental exercises, and other resources. New to This Edition *Emergent theory is now covered in mixed methods as well as qualitative approaches, plus in a new chapter on exploratory quantitative methods that can help generate new theory through data mining. *Chapter on whether and how to revise a theory when faced with disconfirmatory data. *Two chapters on the theoretical underpinnings of measurement practices. *New or expanded discussions of what constitutes a theoretical contribution, conceptual logic models, thought experiments, and more. Pedagogical Features *Application and concept exercises in every chapter. *Lists of key terms and engaging topical boxes. *Annotated suggestions for further reading. *New companion website with rich resources for students and instructors. *Chapters stand on their own and can be used in any order.
Book Synopsis Scientific Models in Philosophy of Science by : Daniela M. Bailer-Jones
Download or read book Scientific Models in Philosophy of Science written by Daniela M. Bailer-Jones and published by University of Pittsburgh Pre. This book was released on 2009-09-13 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scientists have used models for hundreds of years as a means of describing phenomena and as a basis for further analogy. In Scientific Models in Philosophy of Science, Daniela Bailer-Jones assembles an original and comprehensive philosophical analysis of how models have been used and interpreted in both historical and contemporary contexts. Bailer-Jones delineates the many forms models can take (ranging from equations to animals; from physical objects to theoretical constructs), and how they are put to use. She examines early mechanical models employed by nineteenth-century physicists such as Kelvin and Maxwell, describes their roots in the mathematical principles of Newton and others, and compares them to contemporary mechanistic approaches. Bailer-Jones then views the use of analogy in the late nineteenth century as a means of understanding models and to link different branches of science. She reveals how analogies can also be models themselves, or can help to create them. The first half of the twentieth century saw little mention of models in the literature of logical empiricism. Focusing primarily on theory, logical empiricists believed that models were of temporary importance, flawed, and awaiting correction. The later contesting of logical empiricism, particularly the hypothetico-deductive account of theories, by philosophers such as Mary Hesse, sparked a renewed interest in the importance of models during the 1950s that continues to this day. Bailer-Jones analyzes subsequent propositions of: models as metaphors; Kuhn's concept of a paradigm; the Semantic View of theories; and the case study approaches of Cartwright and Morrison, among others. She then engages current debates on topics such as phenomena versus data, the distinctions between models and theories, the concepts of representation and realism, and the discerning of falsities in models.
Book Synopsis Formal Modeling in Social Science by : Carol Mershon
Download or read book Formal Modeling in Social Science written by Carol Mershon and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2019-09-03 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A formal model in the social sciences builds explanations when it structures the reasoning underlying a theoretical argument, opens venues for controlled experimentation, and can lead to hypotheses. Yet more importantly, models evaluate theory, build theory, and enhance conjectures. Formal Modeling in Social Science addresses the varied helpful roles of formal models and goes further to take up more fundamental considerations of epistemology and methodology. The authors integrate the exposition of the epistemology and the methodology of modeling and argue that these two reinforce each other. They illustrate the process of designing an original model suited to the puzzle at hand, using multiple methods in diverse substantive areas of inquiry. The authors also emphasize the crucial, though underappreciated, role of a narrative in the progression from theory to model. Transparency of assumptions and steps in a model means that any analyst will reach equivalent predictions whenever she replicates the argument. Hence, models enable theoretical replication, essential in the accumulation of knowledge. Formal Modeling in Social Science speaks to scholars in different career stages and disciplines and with varying expertise in modeling.
Book Synopsis The Research Act by : Norman K. Denzin
Download or read book The Research Act written by Norman K. Denzin and published by Transaction Publishers. This book was released on 2017 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At once a unique textbook for methods courses and a major contribution to sociological theory, this book teaches students the principles of research and how to construct and test theories. It brings coherence to the study of methods by presenting four major approaches to experimentation: survey research, participant observation, life histories, and unobtrusive measures from a single theoretical point of view, symbolic interaction. It demonstrates the need for a synthesis between theory and methods, and shows how different methods limit and aff ect research results. Denzin's argues that no single method, theory, or observer can capture all that is relevant or important in reality. He argues for the use of triangulation and for a view of theory and methods as "concept sensitizers." His approach enables sociologists to acquire specifi c facts about a particular situation while simultaneously elevating these to the level of shared meaning. The author shows students how to proceed with research, bringing sharply into focus the possibilities and their limitations. Since his view is integrated rather than eclectic, this is much more than a "how to do it" manual. Denzin points out aspects of research that fall outside the scope of a given method yet aff ect results, and emphasizes the need to employ several methods to cross-check each other. "The Research Act" covers all the content of conventional methods courses. The presentation is exciting and imaginative, and provides a thorough review of major sociological methods, a cogent statement about approaches to sociological inquiry, and a source from which a understanding of the problems of research can be derived. "Norman K. Denzin" is professor of sociology, cinema studies, and interpretive theory at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He was awarded the George Herbert Mead Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction. He is the author of several books, including "The Alcoholic Society, Children and Their Caretakers, Hollywood Shot by Shot, Sociological Methods" and "The Values of Social Science" all available from Transaction.
Book Synopsis Vilfredo Pareto by : John Cunningham Wood
Download or read book Vilfredo Pareto written by John Cunningham Wood and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 1999 with total page 608 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The articles reprinted here cover pure economic theory, political economy (including sociological studies), Pareto's law of income distribution and miscellaneous matters, and give a general overview of the man and his contributions.
Book Synopsis The Palgrave Handbook of Methodological Individualism by : Nathalie Bulle
Download or read book The Palgrave Handbook of Methodological Individualism written by Nathalie Bulle and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2024-01-29 with total page 688 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While methodological individualism is a fundamental approach within the social sciences, it is often misunderstood. This highlights the need for a discursive and up-to-date reference work analyzing this approach’s classic arguments and assumptions in the light of contemporary issues in sociology, economics and philosophy. This two-volume handbook presents the first comprehensive overview of methodological individualism. Chapters discuss historical and contemporary debates surrounding this central approach within the social sciences, as well as cutting edge developments related to the individualist tradition with philosophical and scientific implications. Bringing together multiple contributions from the world’s leading experts on this important tradition of theorizing, this collective endeavor provides teachers, researchers and students in sociology, economics, and philosophy with a reliable and critical understanding of the founding principles, key thinkers and intellectual development of MI since the late 19th century.
