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Grand Theory (grand + theory)
Selected AbstractsMoving Toward a Grand Theory of Development: In Memory of Esther ThelenCHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2006John P. Spencer This paper is in memory of Esther Thelen, who passed away while President of the Society for Research in Child Development. A survey of Esther Thelen's career reveals a trajectory from early work on simple movements like stepping, to the study of goal-directed reaching, to work on the embodiment of cognition, and, ultimately, to a grand theory of development,dynamic systems theory. Four central concepts emerged during her career: (1) a new emphasis on time; (2) the proposal that behavior is softly assembled from the interaction of multiple subsystems; (3) the embodiment of perception, action, and cognition; and (4) a new respect for individuality. Esther Thelen communicated these ideas to scientists and practitioners alike, so the ultimate benefactors of her work were children. [source] Researching Small Firms and Entrepreneurship in the U.K.: Developments and DistinctivenessENTREPRENEURSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE, Issue 2 2008Robert A. Blackburn This article charts the development of research on small firms and entrepreneurship in the U.K. over the last 30 years or so and identifies distinctive characteristics of the current orientation of the research field. The paper analyses the rapid increase in the number of researchers contributing to the field over the period, together with its growing legitimacy and institutionalization. One of the key underlying themes is the rich diversity of approaches, reflecting the origins and development path, with clusters of researchers ranging from those with normative objectives to those who view the phenomenon as an object of study. Specific features of the U.K. research field identified include its policy orientation; a rich empirical tradition, with methodological diversity; an emphasis on small firms, and entrepreneurship as a subject for study, rather than an object for promotion; aspects of the boundaries and language of small business and entrepreneurship research; and pre-paradigmatic and middle range theory development i.e., somewhere between grand theory and empirical findings. [source] A Hormonal Interpretation of Collins's Micro-sociological Theory of ViolenceJOURNAL FOR THE THEORY OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR, Issue 4 2009ALLAN MAZUR Collins (2008) provides a grand theory that unifies all forms of human violence occurring in face-to-face situations, ranging from spousal abuse to medieval warfare. Laitin (2008) appreciates Collins's microscopic analysis of diverse data but points to important shortcomings in the theory, especially Collins's metaphoric explanations that are not testable. Here Collins's theory is merged with an existing biosocial model of dominance, replacing the metaphors with tangible, measurable hormonal mechanisms. [source] Moving Toward a Grand Theory of Development: In Memory of Esther ThelenCHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2006John P. Spencer This paper is in memory of Esther Thelen, who passed away while President of the Society for Research in Child Development. A survey of Esther Thelen's career reveals a trajectory from early work on simple movements like stepping, to the study of goal-directed reaching, to work on the embodiment of cognition, and, ultimately, to a grand theory of development,dynamic systems theory. Four central concepts emerged during her career: (1) a new emphasis on time; (2) the proposal that behavior is softly assembled from the interaction of multiple subsystems; (3) the embodiment of perception, action, and cognition; and (4) a new respect for individuality. Esther Thelen communicated these ideas to scientists and practitioners alike, so the ultimate benefactors of her work were children. [source] | ||||||||||