The Big Book of Concepts
The Big Book of Concepts

Author: Gregory Murphy

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2004-01-30

Total Pages: 564

ISBN-13: 0262632993

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Concepts embody our knowledge of the kinds of things there are in the world. Tying our past experiences to our present interactions with the environment, they enable us to recognize and understand new objects and events. Concepts are also relevant to understanding domains such as social situations, personality types, and even artistic styles. Yet like other phenomenologically simple cognitive processes such as walking or understanding speech, concept formation and use are maddeningly complex. Research since the 1970s and the decline of the "classical view" of concepts have greatly illuminated the psychology of concepts. But persistent theoretical disputes have sometimes obscured this progress. The Big Book of Concepts goes beyond those disputes to reveal the advances that have been made, focusing on the major empirical discoveries. By reviewing and evaluating research on diverse topics such as category learning, word meaning, conceptual development in infants and children, and the basic level of categorization, the book develops a much broader range of criteria than is usual for evaluating theories of concepts.

How to Build Social Science Theories
How to Build Social Science Theories

Author: Pamela J. Shoemaker

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Published: 2003-12-10

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 1452210438

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Click ′Additional Materials′ to read the foreword by Jerald Hage As straightforward as its title, How to Build Social Science Theories sidesteps the well-traveled road of theoretical examination by demonstrating how new theories originate and how they are elaborated. Essential reading for students of social science research, this book traces theories from their most rudimentary building blocks (terminology and definitions) through multivariable theoretical statements, models, the role of creativity in theory building, and how theories are used and evaluated. Authors Pamela J. Shoemaker, James William Tankard, Jr., and Dominic L. Lasorsa intend to improve research in many areas of the social sciences by making research more theory-based and theory-oriented. The book begins with a discussion of concepts and their theoretical and operational definitions. It then proceeds to theoretical statements, including hypotheses, assumptions, and propositions. Theoretical statements need theoretical linkages and operational linkages; this discussion begins with bivariate relationships, as well as three-variable, four-variable, and further multivariate relationships. The authors also devote chapters to the creative component of theory-building and how to evaluate theories. How to Build Social Science Theories is a sophisticated yet readable analysis presented by internationally known experts in social science methodology. It is designed primarily as a core text for graduate and advanced undergraduate courses in communication theory. It will also be a perfect addition to any course dealing with theory and research methodology across the social sciences. Additionally, professional researchers will find it an indispensable guide to the genesis, dissemination, and evaluation of social science theories.

Dictionary of Theories, Laws, and Concepts in Psychology
Dictionary of Theories, Laws, and Concepts in Psychology

Author: Jon Roeckelein

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 1998-10-28

Total Pages: 580

ISBN-13: 0313008639

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Fully cross-referenced and source-referenced, this dictionary contains over 1200 entries consisting of terms concerning laws, theories, hypotheses, doctrines, principles, and effects in early and contemporary psychological literature. Each entry consists of the definition/description of the term with commentary, followed by a number of cross-referenced, related terms, and by chronologically-ordered source references to indicate the evolution of the term. An appendix provides supplementary material on many laws and theories not included in the dictionary itself and will be helpful to students and scholars concerned with specialty areas in psychology.

Concepts
Concepts

Author: Eric Margolis

Publisher: National Geographic Books

Published: 1999-06-21

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 0262631938

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Concepts: Core Readings traces the develoment of one of the most active areas of investigation in cognitive science. This comprehensive volume brings together the essential background readings from philosophy, psychology, and linguistics, while providing a broad sampling of contemporary research. The first part of the book centers around the fall of the Classical Theory of Concepts in the face of attacks by W.V.O. Quine, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Eleanor Rosch, and others, emphasizing the emergence and development of the Prototype Theory and the controversies it spurred. The second part surveys a broad range of contemporary theories—Neoclassical Theories, the Prototype Theory, the Theory-Theory, and Conceptual Atomism.

The Origin of Concepts
The Origin of Concepts

Author: Susan Carey

Publisher:

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 609

ISBN-13: 0199838801

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New in paperback-- A transformative book on the way we think about the nature of concepts and the relations between language and thought.

Concepts and Theories of Human Development
Concepts and Theories of Human Development

Author: Richard M. Lerner

Publisher: Psychology Press

Published: 2013-05-13

Total Pages: 636

ISBN-13: 1135681899

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A classic in the field, this third edition will continue to be the book of choice for advanced undergraduate and graduate-level courses in theories of human development in departments of psychology and human development. This volume has been substantially revised with an eye toward supporting applied developmental science and the developmental systems perspectives. Since the publication of the second edition, developmental systems theories have taken center stage in contemporary developmental science and have provided compelling alternatives to reductionist theoretical accounts having either a nature or nurture emphasis. As a consequence, a developmental systems orientation frames the presentation in this edition. This new edition has been expanded substantially in comparison to the second edition. Special features include: * A separate chapter focuses on the historical roots of concepts and theories of human development, on philosophical models of development, and on developmental contextualism. * Two new chapters surrounding the discussion of developmental contextualism--one on developmental systems theories wherein several exemplars of such models are discussed and a corresponding chapter wherein key instances of such theories--life span, life course, bioecological, and action theoretical ones--are presented. * A new chapter on cognition and development is included, contrasting systems' approaches to cognitive development with neo-nativist perspectives. * A more differentiated treatment of nature-oriented theories of development is provided. There are separate chapters on behavior genetics, the controversy surrounding the study of the heritability of intelligence, work on the instinctual theory of Konrad Lorenz, and a new chapter on sociobiology. * A new chapter concentrates on applied developmental science.

Theories of Development
Theories of Development

Author: William Crain

Publisher: Psychology Press

Published: 2015-10-02

Total Pages: 498

ISBN-13: 1317343212

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The result of extensive scholarship and consultation with leading scholars, this text introduces students to twenty-four theorists and compares and contrasts their theories on how we develop as individuals. Emphasizing the theories that build upon the developmental tradition established by Rousseau, this text also covers theories in the environmental/learning tradition.

Nursing Theories
Nursing Theories

Author: Hesook Suzie Kim

Publisher: Springer Publishing Company

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 332

ISBN-13: 9780826140050

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"This book is written for advanced nursing students. The second edition of Nursing theories explores the conceptual and philosophical foundations of selected major nursing theories. The book is not a survey or evaluation of nursing theories, but is designed to assist students in understanding the core philosophical concepts behind nursing theories and how they can be applied to current nursing practice. New to this second edition: Essays warranted by developments in the science and research of nursing. Three chapters addressing: pragmatism, evidence-based nursing, biography. Newly authored chapters on systems and transcultural thoughts reflecting current thinking and new directions. Completely rewritten chapters on interaction and self-care to incorporate current debates"--Provided by the publisher.

Understanding and Evaluating Research
Understanding and Evaluating Research

Author: Sue L. T. McGregor

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Published: 2017-10-25

Total Pages: 880

ISBN-13: 1506350976

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Understanding and Evaluating Research: A Critical Guide shows students how to be critical consumers of research and to appreciate the power of methodology as it shapes the research question, the use of theory in the study, the methods used, and how the outcomes are reported. The book starts with what it means to be a critical and uncritical reader of research, followed by a detailed chapter on methodology, and then proceeds to a discussion of each component of a research article as it is informed by the methodology. The book encourages readers to select an article from their discipline, learning along the way how to assess each component of the article and come to a judgment of its rigor or quality as a scholarly report.