Weighing the Words

A credible objective theory is required to fulfill two primary objectives of scientific knowledge. What are these two objectives?

What is the term for the standard that a good objective theory should be as simple as possible, without any unnecessary concepts or variables?

According to philosopher Karl Popper, the defining feature of scientific theory is its falsifiability. What does this mean?

What is Klaus Krippendorff's 'ethical imperative' for interpretive theorists?

Which two qualities are identified in the chapter as being essential for an interpretive theory to satisfy the standard of aesthetic appeal?

What is the primary goal of the qualitative research method known as ethnography?

The chapter discusses a story about Willie Sutton, the bank robber, to illustrate how a statement can lack which specific scientific standard?

How many criteria for a good objective theory are discussed in the chapter?

What is the primary aim of critical interpreters, a specific type of interpretive scholar?

The chapter contrasts the mindsets of scientists and interpretive scholars with two functions from the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Which two functions are they?

What is a survey, as defined as a research method for objective theories?

The chapter mentions a student's experience of reading an academic monograph as being like 'scuba diving in fudge'. This is used as an example of a theory failing which standard of interpretive quality?

What is the key difference between an experiment and a survey as quantitative research methods?

The summary chart at the end of the chapter shows a point of contact between 'explanation of data' (scientific) and 'new understanding of people' (interpretive). What do both of these standards help to illuminate?

What is the most common form of textual analysis in the communication discipline?

The chapter opens by comparing the tension between objective and interpretive scholars to the struggle between which two groups?

Which standard for a good objective theory is most closely associated with social psychologist Kurt Lewin's claim that 'there is nothing as practical as a good theory'?

The self-referential imperative, which states, 'Include yourself as a constituent of your own construction,' is an idea from which scholar?

What does a research experimenter try to establish by systematically manipulating one factor in a controlled situation?

According to David Zarefsky, sound arguments in interpretive scholarship differ from unsound ones because sound arguments are addressed to whom?

In the summary comparison of scientific and interpretive theories, what common ground is identified between 'practical utility' and 'reform of society'?

What does an interpretive scholar typically examine to gain fresh insight into the human condition?

According to the chapter, what is the 'independent variable' in a research experiment?

The principle of Occam's razor implores theorists to do what?

The story of Stan Musial cautiously approaching his Black teammates to learn their group rituals and see the world from their perspective is given as an example of what?

How many functions or standards for a good interpretive theory are discussed in the chapter?

Which of the following research methods do objective theorists primarily use to test their predictions, according to the chapter?

What does a prediction from a good objective theory of human behavior typically speak about?

According to the chapter, why would an objective scholar be unhappy with a 'trait' theory that explains nervous behavior simply as 'That's the kind of people they are'?

The cartoon showing Rube Goldberg's 'better mousetrap' is used as an example of a violation of which scientific standard?

What is the primary difference between quantitative and qualitative research as described in the chapter?

According to Ernest Bormann, what makes a work of humanistic (interpretive) scholarship 'live on through time'?

What does the interpretive standard 'community of agreement' suggest about how the reasonableness of an interpretation is decided?

In what way are the scientific standard of 'testing hypotheses' and the interpretive standard of 'community of agreement' similar?

The chapter defines textual analysis as the intensive study of what?

Which anthropologist did Gregory Bateson describe as two 'great contraries of the mind' that are both vital to scholarship?

According to the chapter, a survey can save valuable time that would otherwise be needed to establish cause-and-effect by conducting what?

The analysis of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address by Edwin Black is used to illustrate which standard of a good interpretive theory?

What does the dependent variable in a research experiment refer to?

How is 'effectiveness' defined in the context of Stan Deetz's framework contrasting the priorities of communication theories?

What does the chapter suggest about the complexity of Albert Einstein's formula E = mc squared?

The chapter argues that the wider the scope of a theory's application, the greater its what?

What is the primary function of the qualitative tool of introspection, as mentioned in the chapter?

What is the definition of the self-referential imperative according to the chapter?

According to the chapter, a theory about communication apprehension had great predictive power but lacked a good explanation for what?

What does a qualitative researcher study things in, according to the Handbook of Qualitative Research?

Which standard of a good objective theory is demonstrated by the example of a boyhood 'never-miss' basketball shot that, by definition, could not be a miss?

According to the chapter, why do critical theorists challenge 'blind reliance on the scientific method'?

In the comparison between scientific and interpretive criteria, what common ground is found between 'relative simplicity' and 'aesthetic appeal'?

What does a good social science theory do besides describe a process and focus attention on what is crucial?