3rd International Lab Meeting – Summer session 2005

11th Edition of the International Summer School of the European Ph.D. on Social Representations and Communication

Social Representations in action and construction in Media and Society

“Applying the Facet Theory and Statistical Analysis via HUDAP software to Research on Social Representations :

Theoretical and Methodological Computer Mediated Training Sessions”

at the European PhD on Social Representations & Communication Multimedia LAB & Research Center

in Rome

Advantages and limitations of Facet Theory compared to other approaches Prof. Dov ElizurDr. Eyal Yaniv

Advantages and limitations of Facet Theory compared to other

approaches Prof. Dov Elizur

Dr. Eyal Yaniv

Facet Theory versus other approaches

• Strategy for constructing meaningful scientific theory• Guidelines for: • Systematic design of research• Formulation of hypotheses, regional hypotheses • Designing observations to cover the content universe -

Content sampling • Parsimony – number .of dimensions• Tools for data analysis and test structural hypotheses• Fruitfulness –intension and extension of research• Comparability of research - Cumulative science

Limitations

• No clear guidelines how to discover the basic facets of a content universe.

• Requires abstract thinking

Scientific Theory

• We find various definitions for theory:– We can recognize two elements:

• Concepts – defined by people

• Empirical observations – external to people

Guttman’s definition for theory

A theory is an hypothesis of a correspondence

between a definitional system for a universe

of observations and an aspect of the empirical

structure of those observations, together with

a rationale for such an hypothesis.

Let us consider its components

Sets and set products

Set - a well defined collection of objectsA: weight - a1 light a2 heavyB: height - b1 short b2 tall 

Set product: A set whose elements are a combination of other sets. i.e

a1b1 light and short a1b2 light and tall b2a1 heavy and short b2a2 heavy and tall

 

Cartesian space

B: height

light

heavy

tallshort

A:weight

a1b1 a1b2

a2b2a2b1

Main components in social research

1. Population P

2. Stimuli (questions) on content universe C

3. Group of possible responses - range R

Mapping of cartesian group:Population} {Content} (Range){

Mapping Sentence

The mapping sentence describes the definitional framework for observations, includes the:

– subjects– content facets– range

and combines them together in a regular sentence

Examples :

Work values Personal values

IntelligenceAchievement Motive

Organizational culture and IT

VALUES

• NORMATIVE STANDARDS TO JUDGE AND TO CHOOSE AMONG ALTERNATIVE MODES OF BEHAVIOR (KLUCKHOHN, 1952)

• DESIRABLE OR IMPORTANT STATES, OBJECTS, GOALS, OR BEHAVIORS, TRANSCENDING SPECIFIC SITUATIONS AND APPLIED AS NORMATIVE STANDARDS … (Schwartz & Bilsky, 1987)

VALUES

• ITEMS ESTIMATING THE IMPORTANCE OF A GOAL IN LIFE

• AREA (y) and• RANGE ordered from very

IMPORTANT to VERY UNIMPORTANT Guttman, 1982))

• WHAT ARE WORK VALUES?

DEFINING WORK VALUES

TWO BASIC FACETS:

• FACET A- MODALITY OF OUTCOME

• a1 material or instrumental (pay, benefits)

• a2 social, affective (colleagues, esteem)

• a3 personal, cognitive, (ach., interest)

WORK VALUES

• FACET B– SYSTEM-PERFORMANCE CONTINGENCY.

• b1 system rewards, unrelated to performance (benefits, hours)

• b2 rewards contingent upon performance (pay, recognition)

Mapping sentence of Personal Values in various Life Areas

SSA of Personal Values

Intelligence

• Exercise

• Define in your own words the term: intelligence

• Propose tasks/tests to measure intelligence

Cartesian space of intelligence

Task

Material

RecallApplicationInference

Spatial

Verbal

Numerical

Intelligence – Mapping Sentence

{recall}Testee (x) performs a task requiring the {application} {inference}

of an objective rule concerned with {verbal} material {spacial} {numerical} {very correct} { : } performance {very incorrect

Similarity structure Analysis (SSA)structural analysis/ small space analysis

• SSA space – geometric representation of the abstract content universe

• Assumption: every item can be represented by a point in the space, and every point can represent specific item

• The distance between the points is inversely related to the relations between the items. The higher the correlations the smaller the distance, and vice versa.

Achievement Motive

• Fist observed by projective techniques• Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)• David McClelland • Limitations: • Reliability – low• Consider as uonitary concept

• Defining the Facets of Achievement Motive

Organizational Culture and IT

The assessment of employee (x) of the

A – Behavior Modality a1 (Cognitive (belief a2 (Affective (satisfaction a3 (Instrumental (action a4 ( Value (importance a5 (Norm (desired

behavior by

B – Referent b1 Employee b2 Colleagues b3 Supervisor b4 Management

Toward

C - Objects c1 Work c2 IT

High

IT Usage

Low

}}

{{

} { {}

The Empirical Structure of the Behavior toward Work (Creativity).

A Two Dimensional SSA, separation index= 0.95 , coefficient of alienation = 0.14

# Item1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Should you be creative you satisfied with creativity you prefer creative work you propose creative ideas important for you to be creative colleagues believe should be creative colleagues satisfied with creativity colleagues prefer creative work colleagues propose creative ideas important for colleagues to be creative supervisor believes should be creative

supervisor satisfied with creativity supervisor prefer creative work supervisor propose creative ideas important for supervisor to be creative

11

10

15

12

14

13

3

4

2

58

7

9

1

6

WorkerSupervisor

Colleagues

Norms

Values

Cognitive

InstrumentalAffective

The Empirical Structure of the Behavior toward IT.

A Two Dimensional SSA, separation index= 0.88 , coefficient of alienation = 0.05

# Item1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

You enjoy computer at work You prefer using computer at work You expand use of computer at work Important for you to use computer Colleagues enjoy computer at work

Colleauges prefer using computer Colleagues expand use of computer Important for colleagues to use computer Supervisor enjoy computer at work Supervisor prefer use of computer Supervisor expand use of computer Important for supervisor to use computer

8 6

57

43

21

12

1011

9

Colleagues

Worker

Supervisor

Values

Cognitive

Instrumental

Affective

The Empirical Structure of the Behavior Toward Work and IT.

A Two Dimensional SSA, coefficient of alienation = 0.17

# Item Items 1-15 refer to the variables

related to behavior toward work (items 1-15 in Figure 14). Items 16-27 refer to the variables related to behavior toward IT (items 1-12 in Figure 15).

12

14

15

13

11

101

87 5

9 2 4

3

171816

23

20

22

21

27

2526

24

Worker

Colleagues

Supervisor

Worker

Colleagues

Supervisor

Norms

ValuesCognitive

InstrumentalAffective

Values

Cognitive

Instrumental

Affective

Work

IT