An Abductive Theory of Scientific Method

Haig, Brian D.

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-01051-5_3

Cited by 97 publications

(151 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…However, we cannot definitively rule out whether alternative processes gave rise to the relationships we observe. With this being said, the fact that our dynamic theory is based on processes that have strong theoretical and empirical support (e.g., are consistent with background knowledge) provides substantial evidence that our theory is a viable candidate to account for the relationships we found (Lipton ; Haig ; Campos ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 55%

Developing and Testing a Dynamic Theory of Motor Carrier Safety

Miller

Golicic

Fugate

2017

J of Business Logistics

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D eveloping an understanding of the longitudinal relationships between different measures of motor carrier safety is important to advance theory and practice regarding this significant supply chain management and public policy issue. In this article, we combine core principles from several theoretical traditions to propose a dynamic theory of motor carrier safety that specifies the longitudinal relationships between three core measures of safety publically reported by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration: unsafe driving, hour-of-service compliance, and vehicle maintenance. We test this theory using four years of longitudinal data on motor carrier safety for a random sample of large, for-hire motor carriers. Results from fitting a vector multivariate autoregressive moving average time-series model are largely consistent with the theory we propose. We describe the implications of our research for supply chain management theory and practice, summarize limitations, and suggest directions for future research.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 55%

Developing and Testing a Dynamic Theory of Motor Carrier Safety

Miller

Golicic

Fugate

2017

J of Business Logistics

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“…This approach is represented in schematic form in the right-hand panel of Figure 3. It can be seen as a form of inference, but it is abductive inference: inference to the best explanation (Haig, 2005). We first infer the best explanation for the core phenomena to generate an initial theory.…”

Section: Using Data Models To Develop Formal Theoriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The approach to theory construction proposed here places considerable emphasis on the theory's ability to explain phenomena, especially during the generation and development of that theory. Accordingly, the framework we have proposed is a largely abductive approach (Haig, 2005), and we therefore refer to it as the Abductive Formal Theory Construction (AFTC) framework. Figure 8: Flowchart depicting the process of developing a formal theory with Abductive Formal Theory Construction framework.…”

Section: Abductive Formal Theory Constructionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling Psychopathology: From Data Models to Formal Theories

Haslbeck¹,

Ryan²,

Robinaugh³

et al. 2019

Preprint

112

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Over the past decade there has been a surge of empirical research investigating mental disorders as complex systems. In this paper, we investigate how to best make use of this growing body of empirical research and move the field toward its fundamental aims of explaining, predicting, and controlling psychopathology. We first review the contemporary philosophy of science literature on scientific theories and argue that fully achieving the aims of explanation, prediction, and control requires that we construct formal theories of mental disorders: theories expressed in the language of mathematics or a computational programming language. We then investigate three routes by which one can use empirical findings (i.e., data models) to construct formal theories: (a) using data models themselves as formal theories, (b) using data models to infer formal theories, and (c) comparing empirical data models to theory-implied data models in order to evaluate and refine an existing formal theory. We argue that the third approach is the most promising path forward. We conclude by introducing the Abductive Formal Theory Construction (AFTC) framework, informed by both our review of philosophy of science and our methodological investigation. We argue that this approach provides a clear and promising way forward for using empirical research to inform the generation, development, and testing of formal theories both in the domain of psychopathology and in the broader field of psychological science.

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“…After that, abductive reasoning (Magnani, 2001) was used in the analysis to further explain and understand the nature of TSF, in other words to develop explanatory hypotheses for the central phenomenon of the research. Haig (2005) distinguishes between phenomena detection and theory construction as part of abductive method. Both evidence from empirical material as well earlier theories can be combined for constructing a new theory.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tactical Service Failure: A Case Study on Public Funding as a Marketing Issue

Harviainen

Aalto

Ojasalo

2018

Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing

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This article analyzes the ways in which public sector service providers may use service delivery failure as a way of securing resources. In tactical service failure, an organization tactically delivers non-adequate service, so as to project a media image of being harmed by its funding cuts. Analyzing this process enables new insight into both public funding and provider to funder (P2F) marketing and selling. This research uses a single case study method to confirm the existence of the phenomenon first detected through long-term media analysis. To explore the single case, the authors interviewed a former city official who participated in tactical service failure processes and their marketing. The article shows how and why service providers may opt for this tactic, as well as the potential gains and pitfalls of utilizing it. It also provides new insight into how media connections are used to influence public funding decisions.

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An Abductive Theory of Scientific Method

Cited by 97 publications

References 48 publications

Developing and Testing a Dynamic Theory of Motor Carrier Safety

Developing and Testing a Dynamic Theory of Motor Carrier Safety

Modeling Psychopathology: From Data Models to Formal Theories

Tactical Service Failure: A Case Study on Public Funding as a Marketing Issue

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