21 Everyday Knowing vs. Scholarly Theories

Everyday Knowing vs. Scholarly Theories

While people theorize about everyday occurrences and complex notions alike, there are key differences between everyday knowing and scholarly theories.

• Everyday Theories: These are based on personal experiences, general knowledge, trusted sources, or even guesses. They often lack rigorous scrutiny and may not be generalizable to other contexts.
• Scholarly Theories: These theories are developed through systematic research, including literature reviews, data examination, observation, and experiments. They undergo peer review, where other experts in the field evaluate their validity and contribution. Scholarly theories are subject to constant investigation, scrutiny, and revision, ensuring their robustness and reliability.

Burgoon’s Notion of Theory

Judee Burgoon, a prominent communication scholar, proposes that a theory is essentially a set of “informed, systematic hunches”.

• A Set of Hunches: This emphasizes the exploratory and evolving nature of theories, acknowledging that they often begin as speculative ideas.
• Informed Hunches: These hunches are not simply random guesses but are grounded in existing knowledge and alternative explanations. Theorists should thoroughly investigate their hunches by consulting relevant literature, engaging with others, observing phenomena, and conducting research.
• Systematic Hunches: Theories should integrate multiple hunches into a coherent framework, clearly defining key terms, indicating the scope of the theory, and specifying the relationships between concepts.

Visualizing Theories

Theories can be conceptualized using various metaphors to aid comprehension:

• Theories as Nets: This metaphor, attributed to philosopher of science Karl Popper, suggests that theories are like nets cast to capture and understand the complexities of the world. The goal is to create “finer and finer” nets to capture increasingly nuanced aspects of communication. However, this metaphor has limitations, as human behavior is inherently complex and unpredictable.
• Theories as Lenses: This metaphor highlights how theories shape our perception by focusing our attention on certain aspects of communication while filtering out others. Different theoretical lenses can lead to different interpretations of the same communication event. A potential drawback of this metaphor is the risk of relativism, where truth becomes entirely dependent on the chosen lens.
• Theories as Maps: This metaphor compares theories to maps that guide us through the complexities of human relationships. Different theories offer different maps for understanding communication phenomena. It’s important to remember that no single theory can fully capture the dynamic and multifaceted nature of communication, just as no single map can perfectly represent the complexity of a real-world landscape.

Conclusion

Communication theory plays a vital role in understanding human interaction. Theories offer frameworks for organizing knowledge, generating hypotheses, and guiding research. By grasping the interplay between theory and research, and recognizing the different ways to visualize theories, we can appreciate their crucial role in advancing our understanding of communication.

References

Burgoon, J. K. (1993). Interpersonal expectations, expectancy violations, and emotional communication. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 12(1–2), 30–48.

Bryant, J., & Miron, D. (2004). Theory and research in mass communication. Journal of Communication, 54(4), 662–704.

Craig, R. T., & Muller, H. L. (2007). Theorizing Communication: Readings Across Traditions. SAGE Publications.

Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. SAGE Publications.

Griffin, E. (2015). A First Look at Communication Theory. McGraw-Hill Education.

Kerlinger, F. N., & Lee, H. B. (2000). Foundations of Behavioral Research. Harcourt College Publishers.

Levine, T. R., & Markowitz, D. M. (2024). The role of theory in researching and understanding human communication. Human Communication Research, 50(2), 154–161.

Littlejohn, S. W., & Foss, K. A. (2011). Theories of Human Communication. Waveland Press.

Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods. SAGE Publications.

Popper, K. (1959). The Logic of Scientific Discovery. Routledge.