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Communications Theory

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Communications

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Running head: COMMUNICATIONS THEORY

Communications Theory

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COMMUNICATIONS THEORY 2

1. Explain why it is useful to think of a theory as being either a "lens" or a "tool" for

researchers.

A theory is a group of ideas whose purpose is to explain a certain aspect. It is based on some

principles that are independent of the item being explained. They are important because they

explain complex things that could otherwise not be understood such as how human beings

communicate in different societies. It is useful and enlightening for researchers to think of

theories as ‘lenses’ or ‘tools’ through which they can understand communication in the world.

The ‘lenses’ allow for the researchers to view complicated societal issues by allocating their

focus to different aspects of the given data so as to build a framework that allows them to come

up with an analysis. This use of lenses is especially useful in situations where the aspect being

investigated is large and complicated. The researchers can apply many lenses to a given problem

where they focus their attention on different aspects of the said problem and come up with a

platform where they conduct their analysis (Lammers & Barbour, 2006). The use of tools or

lenses by researchers is therefore very important when they are analyzing a situation as it allows

them to view the problem from different aspects which help them a better understanding of the

situation they are an investigation which therefore allows them to come up with a better analysis.

2. Explain what you believe are the relative contributions to communication research of the

epistemological positions of positivism and anti-positivism.

Anti-positivism is also known as negativism and suggests that we cannot use the scientific

process of carrying out investigations that are used in the real world to study the social realm.

This is because the social realm uses an epistemology that is different where the researchers must

know that the ideas, concepts, and language that they use will shape their perception of the social

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Running head: COMMUNICATIONS THEORY Communications Theory Student’s Name Professor’s Name Course Title Date COMMUNICATIONS THEORY 2 1. Explain why it is useful to think of a theory as being either a "lens" or a "tool" for researchers. A theory is a group of ideas whose purpose is to explain a certain aspect. It is based on some principles that are independent of the item being explained. They are important because they explain complex things that could otherwise not be understood such as how human beings communicate in different societies. It is useful and enlightening for researchers to think of theories as ‘lenses’ or ‘tools’ through which they can understand communication in the world. The ‘lenses’ allow for the researchers to view complicated societal issues by allocating their focus to different aspects of the given data so as to build a framework that allows them to come up with an analysis. This use of lenses is especially useful in situations where the aspect being investigated is large and complicated. The researchers can apply many lenses to a given problem where they focus their attention on different aspects of the said problem and come up with a platform where they conduct their analysis (Lammers & Barbour, 2006). The use of tools or lenses by researchers is therefore very important when they are analyzing a situation as it allows them to view the problem from different aspects which help them a better understanding of the situation they are ...
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Tags: Communication theory Theories of human communication