This article addresses the question, “How should theories be constructed?” In doing so, two approaches are considered: the classic positivist paradigm and an emerging realist perspective. An attempt is made to develop criteria for representing theories so that they can be more rigorously developed, tested, and evaluated.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AchinsteinP. (1968), Concepts of Science, Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Press.
2.
BagozziR. P. (1976), “Science, Politics, and the Social Construction of Marketing,” in Marketing: 1776–1976 and Beyond, BernhardtK. L., ed., Chicago: American Marketing, 586–592.
3.
BagozziR. P. (1979), “The Role of Measurement in Theory Construction and Hypothesis Testing: Toward a Holistic Model,” in Conceptual and Theoretical Developments in Marketing, FerrellO. C., BrownS. W., and LambC. W., eds., Chicago: American Marketing, 15–33.
4.
BagozziR. P. (1980), Causal Models in Marketing, New York: John Wiley.
5.
BagozziR. P. (1981a), “An Examination of the Validity of Two Models of Attitude,”Multivariate Behavioral Research, 16(July), 323–359.
6.
BagozziR. P. (1981b), “Attitudes, Intentions, and Behavior: A Test of Some Key Hypotheses,”Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39(October), 607–627.
7.
BagozziR. P. (1982), “A Field Investigation of Causal Relations among Cognitions, Affect, Intentions, and Behavior,”Journal of Marketing Research, 19(November), 562–583.
8.
BagozziR. P. (1983), “A Holistic Methodology for Modeling Consumer Response to Innovation,”Operations Research, 31(January-February), 128–176.
9.
BagozziR. P., and FornellC. (1982), “Theoretical Concepts, Measurements, and Meaning,” in A Second Generation of Multivariate Analysis, Vol. II, Measurement and Evaluation, FornellC., ed., New York: Praeger.
10.
BagozziR. P., FornellC., and LarckerD. F. (1981), “Canonical Correlation Analysis as a Special Case of a Structural Relations Model,”Multivariate Behaviorial Research, 16(October), 437–454.
11.
BagozziR. P., and PhillipsL. W. (1982), “Representing and Testing Organizational Theories: A Holistic Construal,”Administrative Science Quarterly, 27(September), 459–489.
12.
BagozziR. P., and SilkA. J. (1983), “Recall, Recognition, and the Measurement of Memory for Print Advertisements,”Marketing Science, 2 (Spring), 95–134.
13.
BassF. M. (1974), “The Theory of Stochastic Preference and Brand Switching,”Journal of Marketing Research, 11(February), 1–20.
14.
BassF. M. (1982), “A Discussion of Different Philosophies in the Analysis of Advertising-Sales Relationships,”Dallas: University of Texas, working paper.
15.
BentlerP. M. (1980), “Multivariate Analysis with Latent Variables: Causal Modeling,”Annual Review of Psychology, 31, 419–456.
16.
BentlerP. M., and BonettD. G. (1980), “Significance Tests and Goodness of Fit in the Analysis of Covariance Structures,”Psychological Bulletin, 88(No. 3), 588–606.
17.
BridgmanP. W. (1927), The Logic of Modern Physics, New York: MacMillan.
18.
BrownH. I. (1979), Perception, Theory, and Commitment: The New Philosophy of Science, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
19.
CampbellD. T. (1969), “Definitional Versus Multiple Operationalism,”Et Al, 2, 14–17.
20.
CarnapR. (1939), Foundations of Logic and Mathematics, Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
21.
CarnapR. (1956), “The Methodological Character of Theoretical Concepts,” in Minnesota Studies in the Philosophy of Science, Vol. I, FeiglH., and ScrivenM., eds., Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 33–76.
22.
CarnapR. (1966), An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science, New York: Basic Books.
23.
ChurchillG. A.Jr. (1979), “A Paradigm for Developing Better Measures of Marketing Constructs,”Journal of Marketing Research, 16(February), 64–73.
24.
CraigW. (1956), “Replacement of Auxiliary Expressions,”Philosophical Review, 65, 38–55.
25.
EhrenbergA. S. C. (1970), “Models of Fact: Examples from Marketing,”Management Science, 16(March), 435–445.
26.
FeiglH. (1970), “The ‘Orthodox’ View of Theories: Remarks in Defense as Well as Critique,” in Minnesota Studies in the Philosophy of Science, Vol. 4, RadnerM., and WinokurS., eds., Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 3–16.
27.
FeyerabendP. K. (1965), “Problems of Empiricism,”in Beyond the Edge of Certainty, ColodnyR., ed., Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 145–260.
28.
Feyerabend, P. K. (1970), “Against Method: Outline of an Anarchistic Theory of Knowledge,” in Minnesota Studies in the Philosophy of Science, Vol. 4, RadnerM., and WinokurS., eds., Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 17–130.
29.
FischR. (1977), “Psychology of Science,” in Science, Technology, and Society: A Cross-disciplinary Perspective, Spiegel-RosingI., and deSolla PriceD., eds., London: Sage.
30.
FornellC., and BooksteinF. L. (1982), “A Comparative Analysis of Two Structural Equation Models: LISREL and PLS Applied to Market Data,”Journal of Marketing Research, 19(November), 440–452.
31.
FornellC., and LarckerD. F. (1981), “Evaluating Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error,”Journal of Marketing Research, 18(February), 39–50.
32.
HansonN. R. (1971), Observation and Explanation: A Guide to Philosophy of Science, New York: Harper and Row.
33.
HempelC. G. (1952), Fundamentals of Concept Formation in Empirical Science, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
34.
HempelC. G. (1965), Aspects of Scientific Explanation, New York: Free Press.
35.
HesseM. B. (1970), Models and Analogies in Science, Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press.
36.
HowardJ. A., and ShethJ. N. (1969), The Theory of Buyer Behavior, New York: John Wiley.
37.
HuntS. D. (1976), Marketing Theory: Conceptual Foundations of Research in Marketing, Columbus, OH: Grid.
38.
JacobyJ. (1978), “Consumer Research: A State of the Art Review,”Journal of Marketing, 42(April), 87–96.
39.
JoreskogK. G., and SorbomD. (1982), Analysis of Linear Structural Relationships by the Method of Maximum Likelihood, Chicago: National Educational Resources.
40.
KaplanA. (1964), The Conduct of Inquiry, Scranton, PA: Chandler Publishing Company.
41.
KeatR., and UrryJ. (1975), Social Theory as Science, London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
42.
KuhnT. S. (1970), The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, enlarged ed., Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
43.
LakatosT. S. (1970), “Falsification and the Methodology of Scientific Research Programmes,” in Criticism and the Growth of Knowledge, LakatosI., and MusgraveA., eds., Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 91–196.
44.
LittleJ. D. C. (1975), “BRANDAID: A Marketing-Mix Model,” Parts I & II, Operations Research, 23 (July–August), 628–673.
45.
LordF. C., and NovickM. R. (1968), Statistical Theories of Mental Test Scores, Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
46.
MahoneyM. J. (1976), Scientist as Subject, Cambridge, MA: Ballinger.
47.
ManicasP. T., and SecordP. F. (1983), “Implications for Psychology of the New Philosophy of Science,”American Psychologist, 38(April), 399–413.
48.
MertonR. K. (1973), The Sociology of Science: Theoretical and Empirical Investigations, StorerN. W., ed., Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
49.
MitroffI. (1974), “Norms and Counter-norms in a Select Group of the Apollo Moon Scientists: A Case Study of the Ambivalence of Scientists,”American Sociological Review, 39(August), 579–595.
50.
NagelE. (1961), The Structure of Science, New York: Harcourt, Brace.
51.
NicosiaF. M. (1978), “Brand Choice: Toward Behavioral-Behavioristic Models,” in Behavioral and Management Science in Marketing, DavisH. L., and SilkA. J., eds., New York: Ronald Press, 12–55.
52.
NisbettR. E., and RossL. (1980), Human Inference: Strategies and Shortcomings of Social Judgment, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
53.
PeterJ. P. (1979), “Reliability: A Review of Psychometric Basics and Recent Marketing Practices,”Journal of Marketing Research, 16(February), 6–17.
54.
PeterJ. P. (1981), “Construct Validity: A Review of Basic Issues and Marketing Practices,”Journal of Marketing Research, 18(May), 133–145.
55.
PetrieH. G. (1971), “A Dogma of Operationalism in the Social Sciences,”Philosophy of the Social Sciences, 1(May), 145–160.
56.
PhillipsL. W. (1981), “Assessing Measurement Error in Key Informant Reports: A Methodological Note on Organizational Analysis in Marketing,”Journal of Marketing Research, 18(November), 395–415.
57.
PhillipsL. W. (1982), “Explaining Control Losses in Corporate Marketing Channels: An Organizational Analysis,”Journal of Marketing Research, 19(November), 525–549.
58.
PlattJ. R. (1964), “Strong Inference,”Science, 146(October), 347–353.
59.
PopperK. R. (1959), The Logic of Scientific Discovery, New York: Basic Books.
60.
PutnamH. (1962), “The Analytic and the Synthetic,” in Minnesota Studies in the Philosophy of Science, Vol. 3, FeiglH., and MaxwellG., eds., Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 350–397.
61.
RayM. L. (1979), “Introduction to the Special Section: Measurement and Marketing Research—Is the Flirtation Going to Lead to a Romance?,”Journal of Marketing Research, 16(February), 1–6.
62.
SchaffnerK. F. (1969), “Correspondence Rules,”Philosophy of Science, 36(September), 280–290.
63.
SellarsW. (1961), “The Language of Theories,” in Current Issues in the Philosophy of Science, FeiglH., and MaxwellG., eds., New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 57–77.
64.
ShapereD. (1969), “Notes Toward a Post-Positivistic Interpretation of Science,” in The Legacy of Logical Positivism, AchinsteinP., and BarkerS., eds., Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Press, 115–160.
65.
ShapereD. (1974), “Discovery, Rationality, and Progress in Science: A Perspective in the Philosophy of Science,” in PSA 1972: Proceedings of the 1972 Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association. Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science, Vol. 20, SchaffnerK. F., and CohenR., eds., Dordrecht, Holland: Reidel, 407–419.
66.
ShethJ. N. (1967), “A Review of Buyer Behavior,”Management Science, 13(August), B718–756.
67.
SilkA. J., and UrbanG. L. (1978), “Pre-Test Market Evaluation of New Packaged Goods: A Model and Measurement Methodology,”Journal of Marketing Research, 15(May), 171–191.
68.
StemthalB., DholakiaR., and LeavittC. (1978), “The Persuasive Effect of Source Credibility: Tests of Cognitive Response,”Journal of Consumer Research, 4(March), 252–260.
69.
SuppeF. (1977), The Structure of Scientific Theories, 2nd ed., Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press.
70.
SuppesP. (1962), “Models of Data,” in Logic, Methodology, and Philosophy of Science: Proceedings of the 1960 International Congress, NagelE., SuppesP., and TarskiA., eds., Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 252–261.
71.
SwinburneR. G. (1971), “The Paradoxes of Confirmation—A Survey,”American Philosophical Quarterly, 8(October), 318–330.
72.
ThorndykeP. W., and Hayes-RothB. (1979), “The Use of Schemata in the Acquisition and Transfer of Knowledge,”Cognitive Psychology, 11(January), 82–106.
73.
ToulminS. (1972), Human Understanding, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
74.
ZaltmanG., LeMastersK., and HeffringM. (1982), Theory Construction in Marketing, New York: John Wiley & Sons.
75.
ZaltmanG., PinsonC. R. A., and AngelmarR. (1973), Metatheory and Consumer Research, New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.