Social science theories and major frameworks

Social Sciences

Research is the backbone of science, which is defined by its trust in empirical evidence. The social sciences demand different types of experimental designs than the hard sciences. Biology and chemistry often yield cut-and-dry results that can be unequivocally observed, calculated, and replicated. The social sciences are more limited in the ways studies can be designed. Ethical considerations might prevent researchers from being able to test a new pharmaceutical intervention or conduct a study involving children. Moreover, human beings are not robots. Our reactions in different social situations cannot be predicted with complete accuracy. One person's behavior can change dramatically over the course of a few years or even within the same day. Human beings are complex, and the social sciences can only attempt to codify and classify as accurately as a biologist can. However, research remains the core of the social sciences just as it is for any other scientific endeavor. Research helps social scientists formulate theories, and research is also essential for substantiating or disproving existing theories.

Theories offer basic frameworks for research investigations. For example, a criminologist might work within a conflict theory framework; or a psychologist might work within the cognitive developmental theory framework. The theory guides the research design, the selection of subject and the selection of the population too. As a body of research grows, new theories may be devised that summarize or encapsulate the essence of an area of research. When studies corroborate previous findings, the theory is bolstered and supported. When studies expose flaws in prior research designs, a theory may be cast aside as easily as it was created. Theories can be proven and disproven more directly: as when larger-scale studies reveal a negligent effect that appeared in a smaller-scale one.