Developing theories in the social sciences : methods and applications / Jane Sell, Murray Webster Jr.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sell, Jane, author.

Webster, Murray, 1941- author.

Series:

Methodological tools in the social sciences

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Social sciences--Methodology.

Social sciences.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2026

Summary:

"Progress in the social sciences entails developing and improving theoretical understanding of social phenomena and improving methods for collecting and analyzing data. Theories organize what we know or expect to learn about phenomena and methods provide the evidential basis for the theories. While we have witnessed great strides in the development of statistical methods, there is less information for developing theories. In Developing Theories in the Social Sciences, Jane Sell and Murray Webster Jr. describe an approach for logical, consistent, and useful explanatory theories for social scientists. They emphasize properly defining concepts to embed in theoretical propositions, while providing guidelines for avoiding missteps that can occur, including imprecise definitions, incomplete assumptions, and missing scope conditions. Offering examples from different disciplines, the authors propose a structured method vital for building and refining theories about social phenomena"-- Cambridge Core

Contents:

Preface : do we need theories?

What is a theory?

Concepts

Logical sentences and truth

Types of reasoning and definitions

Testing theory

Developing a theory of status effects

Public good theory and research

Avoiding common missteps

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index

Online resource; title from PDF title page (Cambridge Core, viewed June 4, 2026)

Other Format:

Print version: Sell, Jane Developing theories in the social sciences

ISBN:

9781009483353

1009483358

9781009483315

1009483315

OCLC:

1591602378

Publisher Number:

CIPO000377141

CIPO000381707

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license