GGR277H5 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Grounded Theory, Social Science, Symbolic Interactionism
Document Summary
Degree of abstraction three common components of a theory: Definitions specify what the key terms in the theory mean. Descriptions outline the characteristics of the phenomena of interest. Relational statements connect two or more variables so that knowing the value of one variable conveys information about the other, and relational statements come in two forms: > deterministic : the two variables always go together in a particular way. > probabilistic: the two variables go together with some degree of regularity, but the relationship is not inevitable. One important epistemological issue in the social sciences is the question of what should be regarded as acceptable knowledge. A fundamental debate in this context is whether the social sciences should follow the same principles and procedures as the natural sciences. Affirms the importance of following the natural sciences. Only phenomena confirmed by the senses can be accepted as knowledge: this is the principle of empiricism.
