Chapter 3

Objective Theory Criteria

1. Prediction of Future Events
⁃ predicts what will happen
⁃ some predict that a specific type of communication triggers a particular response
⁃ other theories predict that people will use different types of communication
depending upon some pre-existing factor
2. Explanation of the Data
⁃ explains an event or human behavior
⁃ bring clarity to an otherwise jumbled state of affairs; it should draw order out of
chaos
⁃ describes the process, focuses our attention on what’s crucial, and helps us
ignore that which makes little difference
3. Relative Simplicity
⁃ as simple as possible
⁃ rule of parsimony: given two plausible explanations for the same event, we
should accept the less complex version
4. Hypotheses That Can Be Tested
⁃ testable
⁃ falsifiability: if a prediction is wrong, there ought to be a way to demonstrate the
error
5. Practical Utility
⁃ useful, overtime
⁃ the wider the scope of a theory’s application, the greater its practical utility
6. Quantitative Research
⁃ appeal to numbers as they gather evidence to support their theories
⁃ comparison of differences
⁃ measure and report what they discover in precise numerical terms rather than in
linguistic terms, which are open to interpretation
⁃ use experiments and surveys to test their predictions

Interpretive Theory Criteria

1. Clarification of Values
⁃ brings people’s values into the open
⁃ actively seeks to acknowledge, identify, or unmask the ideology behind the
message under scrutiny
⁃ be willing to reveal their own ethical commitments
2. New Understanding of People
⁃ offers fresh insight into the human condition
⁃ gain new understanding by analyzing the activity they regard as uniquely human
— symbolic interaction
⁃ examines a one-of-a-kind speech community that exhibits a specific language
style
 3. Aesthetic Appeal
⁃ the way a theorist presents ideas can capture the imagination of a reader just as
much as the wisdom and originality of the theory he or she has created
⁃ no matter how great the insights the theory contains, if the essay describing
them is disorganized, overwritten, or opaque, the theorist’s ideas will come
across murky rather than clear
⁃ artfully incorporating imagery, metaphor, illustration, and story into the core of
the theory, the theorist can make his or her creation come alive for others
4. Community of Agreement
⁃ amount of support it generates within a community of scholars who are
interested and knowledgeable about the same type of communication
⁃ can’t meet the community of agreement standard unless it becomes the subject
of widespread analysis
5. Reform of Society
⁃ generates change
⁃ expose and publicly resist the ideology that permeates the accepted wisdom of a
culture
⁃ challenge the guiding assumptions of the culture, to raise fundamental questions
regarding contemporary social life, to foster reconsideration of that which is
“taken for granted,” and thereby to generate fresh alternatives for social action
⁃ unmask these communication practices in an attempt to stimulate change
6. Qualitative Research
⁃ use words
⁃ textual analysis and ethnography are the two methods most often used to study
how humans use signs and symbols to create and infer meaning

Common Ground
⁃ mutual respect for each other’s curiosity about the communication process and a
recognition that they are both bringing the very best of their intellect to bear on what
they study
⁃ mutual appreciation would be an understanding that the strong point of science is a
rigorous comparison of multiple messages or groups, while the forte of humanism is its
imaginative, in-depth analysis of a single message or group
⁃ the standards set by scientists and the evaluative criteria used by interpretive theorists
share some similarities
1. Both prediction and value clarification look to the future.
2. An explanation of communication behavior can lead to further understanding
of people’s motivation
3. Simplicity has an aesthetic appeal
4. Testing hypotheses is a way of achieving a community of agreement
5. What could be more practical than a theory that reforms unjust practices?
Both quantitative research and qualitative research reflect a commitment to learn more about
communication