The Causes of Human Behavior: Implications for Theory and Method in the Social Sciences
The Causes of Human Behavior: Implications for Theory and Method in the Social Sciences
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人类行为的原因：对社会科学理论和方法的启示
DOI：
10.3998/mpub.14489
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发表时间：
2009
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Lawrence B. Mohr
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Lawrence B. Mohr
承认虽然学科应该是累积的，但几乎没有累积的一般理论，本书在分析基本问题的基础上，就社会研究的适当手段和目的展开了对话。2本书探讨了解释性社会研究方法论中的两个根本问题--社会科学中因果关系概念的意义以及产生有意行为的生理机制问题。通过分析得出了关于这些问题以及若干衍生问题的结论。在后者中，分析表明，无论是普遍的还是概率的规律都不可能支配人类行为，即使在以规律为中心特征的实证主义或实证主义传统中也是如此。相反，分析揭示了一个解释性社会理论可以是什么和做什么的更温和的观点。在这种观点中，可以产生的理论在定量和定性研究方法中在形式和内容上基本相同，在不同学科中也是如此。这两个分析流相结合，从而对大样本，小样本和案例研究的研究设计以及法律和理论的影响。为政治学和组织理论的实践经验研究者撰写，无论是定量还是定性，主要问题和发现都是为了保持一致，然而，对于历史学，社会学和其他社会科学学科。莫尔是密歇根大学政治学和公共政策教授。
Acknowledging that though the disciplines are supposed to be cumulative, there is little in the way of accumulated, general theory, this work opens a dialogue about the appropriate means and ends of social research based in analysis of fundamental issues.This book examines two root issues in the methodology of explanatory social research--the meaning of the idea of causation in social science and the question of the physiological mechanism that generates intentional behavior. Conclusions on these as well as on several derived problems emerge through the analysis. Among the latter, the analysis shows that neither universal nor probabilistic laws governing human behavior are possible, even within the positivist or empiricist traditions in which laws are a central feature. Instead, the analysis reveals a more modest view of what an explanatory social theory can be and do. In this view, the kind of theory that can be produced is basically the same in form and content across quantitative and qualitative research approaches, and similarly across different disciplines. The two streams of analysis are combined with resulting implications for large-sample, small-sample, and case study research design as well as for laws and theory.Written for the practicing empirical researcher in political science and organization theory, whether quantitative or qualitative, the major issuesand findings are meant to hold identically, however, for history, sociology, and other social science disciplines.Lawrence B. Mohr is Professor of Political Science and Public Policy, University of Michigan.