Theme 2

What is theory and what is it not? 

                     Well, let's start with the former. Theory for scientific studies is something that involves explanation of an action, construct etc., predictions about this and apart from this it should also be testable. In a general sense theory, in it's core, is something we humans construct to describe and explain our world, to enchance our own understanding of this world we live in. These criterias for something being a theory is often supplemended by the ability to give predictions of future actions, events and so on. Is 'this-and this' a theory then? Does it explain why, give predictions and is it testable? Then yes. [1]

Theory is not anything in the following types [2]:

• Theory is not references, references just relate to theories and does not explain. An example of this is 'this gives that'. This reference does not explain the logic of why 'this gives that' as an theory would have done.

  
  
• Data is not theory. Data gives a description of empirical patterns involved but it does not explain why theese are involved.Yes, data is an important part of theorizing but it is not the whole of a theory.

  
  
• From type three we derive that variables or constructs are not theory. As stated before theese kinds of parts are important part of theorizing, but because they do not, in themselves, give an explanation of why they exist or how they are connected they do not count as theory. 

  
  
• Diagrams and figures are not theory. They may be helpful in visualisating parts of explanations but they do not explain theese parts.

  
  
• Hypotheses and/or predictions are not theory. They are basically statements about what we expect should happen and do not explain why this is expected.

Selected paper and it's major theories

For this theme I've chosen the paper Virtual Interpersonal Touch: Expressing and Recognizing Emotions Though Haptic Devices by authors Jeremy N. Bailenson et al (2007). The paper brings up a number of theories that is central to the paper, basically we can divide them into three major theories.




Facial expressions

During the course of experiencing an emotion facial muscles move. These movements are the effect of a number of biological changes causing different facial muscles to work. (Type 4)

Voice

Different emotions result in different usage of our own voice. Every emotion has it's own range in pitch, rhythm, amplitude and duration causing us to interpret the emotion correctly. (Type 4)




Touch

Touch in it's general sense is a signal used to increase trust. Through touch a person can interpret urgency, sincerity, significance etc. For instance a handshake can transmit different kinds of emotions depending on for example, dryness, firmness of grip, temperature etc. (Type 4)

Benefits and limitations

The benefits of using these theories is that they create a fundamental understanding of the basic emotional systems in human interaction. This wide range of basic theory includes the most usable interaction types when decodings different signals for specific emotions.

The limitations of these theories is that, for example, the theory about use of touch is a rather unexplored when it comes to interaction between humans, person-through computer-to-person. The theories used are quite many and could in extension split the researchers and readers focus when it comes to making conclusions about their study.

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[1] Gregor, S. (2006), The Nature of Theory in Information Systems, MIS Quarterly, 30(3), 611-642.

[2] Sutton, R. I. & Staw, B. M. (1995), What Theory is Not, Administrative Science Quarterly, 40(3), 371-384.