1. The Idea of Theory in
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Communication
adapted from Littlejohn, S. W. and Foss, K.A. (2005). Theories of Human
Communication. 8th edition. Belmont, CA.: Thomson Wadsworth.
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2. 12/8/2012
Communication is central to
human life. It is pervasive,
important and complex.
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3. The Idea of Theory
• Theories are used in every day living.
• Theories are also the academic foundation of every discipline
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or field.
• Theories allow scholars and students to transform information
to knowledge.
• Theories do not just help us grow knowledge, they also help
us communicate knowledge.
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4. The Idea of Theory
• Theories also provide a way to challenge existing cultural life
and to generate new ways of living.
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• What is theory?
It is any organized set of concepts, explanations and principles
of some aspect of human experience.
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5. The Idea of Theory
• All theories are abstractions.
• Theories are also human constructions.
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• Theories are less a record of reality than a record of scholar’s
conceptualizations about that reality. –Abraham Kaplan.
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6. The Idea of Theory
Basic Elements of Theory
1. Philosophical assumptions
2. Concepts
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3. Explanations
4. Principles
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7. The Idea of Theory
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Nomothetic Practical
Theory Theory
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8. The Idea of Theory
Evaluating Communication Theory
• Theoretical Scope
• Appropriateness
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• Heuristic Value
• Validity
• Parsimony
• Openness
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9. The Academic Study of
Communication
• Communication has been studied since antiquity but it has
assumed immense importance in academics in recent times.
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• In recent years many scholars have come to recognize that
communication is central to human experience and have
emphasized it in academic research.
• Thus a new field of communication seemed to have emerged
and is growing strong in the universities.
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10. The Academic Study of
Communication
• Communication is so broad a field that it can not be confined
within any single paradigm, nor any single discipline.
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• It is a multi-disciplinary field.
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11. Introducing Communication
Theory
• A theory is not just an explanation; it is a way of packaging
reality, a way of understanding it.
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• We can’t view reality purely; instead, we use a set of concepts
and symbols to define what we see, and our theories provide
the lenses with which we observe and experience the world.
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12. Introducing Communication
Theory
• We need to understand two things about theory:
1. Theory is the product of human judgment and discussion.
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2. Different people prefer different ways of knowing.
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13. Developing Theories
• First Stage: asking questions.
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• Second Stage: observation.
• Third Stage: constructing answers.
• Each stage affects and is affected by the others.
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14. The stages of inquiry
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Questions
Observation
Theory
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15. Types of scholarship
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Standardization Creative Observation
Humanities
Sciences
Social Sciences
Replication Interpretation
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16. Communication Theory as a Field
• Robert Craig in a landmark article proposes a vision for
communication theory that takes a huge step toward unifying
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our otherwise disparate field.
• Craig argues that the field will never be united by a single
theory or group of theories.
• Thus, the field would always have multiplicity of approaches
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17. Communication Theory as a Field
• Craig argues that scholars should not seek a standard model
that applies universally to any communication situation, as
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this would lead to a “dead field”.
• Instead, communication scholars should strive to manage the
tensions of diverse theories of the field through dialogue and
a common understanding of similarities and differences
among theories.
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18. Communication Theory as a Field
• Rather than viewing a theory as an explanation of
communication process, Craig argues that, it should be seen
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as a statement or argument in favour of a particular approach
to the study of the field.
• In other words communication theories are a form of
discourse among diverse approaches of study.
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19. Communication Theory as a Field
• Craig says that theories communicate about communication,
meaning that ‘meta-discourse’ is taking place in the field.
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• Different theories are different ways of “talking about”
communication each one having its own powers and
limitations.
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20. Communication Theory as a Field
• Craig identifies seven traditional standpoints that enters the
meta-discourse:
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1. Rhetorical
2. Semiotic
3. Phenomenological
4. Cybernetic
5. Socio-psychological
6. Socio-cultural
7. Critical
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21. Jimi Kayode
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Adebola Adegunwa School of
Communication,
Lagos State University,
Lagos, Nigeria.
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