Theories and Types of Theories
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I have a question that needs to be answered - Discuss scholarly views of the nature and types of theory.
I am a bit confuse when it says "the nature" of theory. Can you help enlighten me on what I need to be looking at for this portion of the question or how to answer this?
The types of theory - Kind of unsure whether to use specific theories of my field or general broad theories i.e.: descriptive theory, relational theory, explanatory theory OR Implicit leadership theory, contingency theory, leader-member theory etc.
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Solution Summary
This solution discusses the nature and types of specific theories. Implicit leadership theory, contingency theory and leader member theories are examined.
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Several definitions have been offered to explain what a theory is. Borrowing from a dictionary, Arthur and McCarthy (2007) provide several definitions for a theory that includes: (a) a belief, policy or procedure proposed. (b) An hypothesized set of acts, principles or circumstances, or (C) a scientific acceptance of principles, or (d) a hypothesized agreement (i.e., a proposal that is accepted) [p. 2].
A simple reference to the nature of theory implies a proposed idea, belief or conjecture that needs proving. For instance, it can be hypothesized that one group of individuals are more intelligent than another based on intelligence theories. As an example under Cattell (1941) and Horn (l968) theory of multiple and broad abilities (e.g., short-term memory, processing speed, reading and writing and quantitative knowledge) are representations of cognitive abilities (Tusing & Ford, 2004). Many studies have been presented to either prove and/or disprove based on intelligence theories that there are differences between the intelligences such as biological differences (Halari, Hines, Kumari, Mehrotra, Wheeler, M. et al., 2005). [example of an intelligent theory will probably fall into the category of a relational theory). A question posed on the theory might be, "Is there a relationship between hormones and ...
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