Role of theory in Research:
Science does not progress simply through the accumulation of independent facts. These facts have to be integrated in terms of theoretical explanations (theories). Theories (theory a coherent framework used to make sense of, and integrate, a number of empirical findings) are statements of why, not just what. They are capable of: 1. accounting for multiple facts, and 2. predicting what might happen in novel situations. The purpose of most psychological research is to test such predictions in the form of hypotheses – i.e. statements of cause and effect that are derived from a given theory and tested by research (hypothesis a statement about the causal relationship between particular phenomena (i.e. A causes B), usually derived from a particular theoretical framework, which is designed to be tested via research investigation) . So theories generally precede experimentation, not vice versa. For example, the statement that absence makes the heart grow fonder does not provide a theoretical framework, but the following statement is distinctly more theory-based: ‘separation from an object causes us to exaggerate an object’s qualities (whether good or bad) because memory distorts reality’. This is because this statement attempts to explain and not just describe the relationship between separation and emotion. Moreover, having made this statement, we can test it by generating hypotheses and doing appropriate research. One hypothesis might be that people with memory disorders will make less extreme judgements of absent loved ones than people without such disorders.
Science does not progress simply through the accumulation of independent facts. These facts have to be integrated in terms of theoretical explanations (theories). Theories (theory a coherent framework used to make sense of, and integrate, a number of empirical findings) are statements of why, not just what. They are capable of: 1. accounting for multiple facts, and 2. predicting what might happen in novel situations. The purpose of most psychological research is to test such predictions in the form of hypotheses – i.e. statements of cause and effect that are derived from a given theory and tested by research (hypothesis a statement about the causal relationship between particular phenomena (i.e. A causes B), usually derived from a particular theoretical framework, which is designed to be tested via research investigation) . So theories generally precede experimentation, not vice versa. For example, the statement that absence makes the heart grow fonder does not provide a theoretical framework, but the following statement is distinctly more theory-based: ‘separation from an object causes us to exaggerate an object’s qualities (whether good or bad) because memory distorts reality’. This is because this statement attempts to explain and not just describe the relationship between separation and emotion. Moreover, having made this statement, we can test it by generating hypotheses and doing appropriate research. One hypothesis might be that people with memory disorders will make less extreme judgements of absent loved ones than people without such disorders.
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