Central Philippine University

Cen tr al Ph ilip pi ne Un ivers ity Schoo l of Gr adua te Stu dies Ma ster o f Arts i n Nur si ng Theor eti ca l Fr ame work in Nsg

A GR OUP R EP OR T ON LOG ICA L RE ASO NIN G

Logic al R easo ning  Logi

c – a branch of philosophy concerned with the analysis of inferences and arguments.  Infe re nc e – involves forming a conclusion based on some evidence.  Ar gumen t – consist of conclusion and its supportive evidence.

Dedu cti on a

form of logical reasoning in which a specific conclusions are inferred from more general premises or principles. Reasoning proceeds from the general to the particular.

Exampl e  Premise:

All victims of abuse have low self-esteem.  Premise: Martha and Tom are victim of abuse.  Conclusion: therefore, Martha and Tom have low self-esteem.

Th e ded uct iv e form of rea son in g is d efin ed a s: If

A were true then B would be true. A is true. Therefore B is true.

Examples

of terms that often precede a premise include “sin ce,” “for” and “beca use.”

Exa mpl es o f term s that o ften pr ecede a co nc lusi on in clud e

“ th erefo re,” “co nsequ entl y,” “ hence,” “so ,” a nd “ it f ollows th at,”

Ar gu ments ma y b e evalu ate d in two d if feren t way s: The validity of the argument may be assessed as to whether the conclusion logically follows the premises. 2. The content of the premises may be assessed in terms of the truth or falsity of the statements. 1.

Induction 

a form of logical reasoning in which a generalization is induced from a number of specific, observed instances.

Th e fo rm of t he in duct iv e argumen t f ollows : A

is true of b1, b2, … bn. b1, b2 … bn are some members of class B. Therefore A is true of all members of class B.

Example  Pr emise :

b1, b2 … bn victims of abuse who have been observed have low self-esteem.  Co ncl usi on : all victims of abuse have low self-esteem.

 The

inductive form is based on the assumption that members of any given class share common characteristics.  An inductive conclusion based on limited or biased evidence can clearly lead to a fallacious argument and perhaps a false conclusion.

 Descriptive

and inferential statistics are used to characterize the sample of the population and help with decisions about the strength of the evidence. The inductive inference has been termed the statistical inference.

 The

correctness of inductive argument is not viewed in either/or terms; it is viewed on degrees of strength and measured in terms of probability with which the premises lead to a given conclusion. Then the inferred conclusion can be determined to have low, medium, or high probability. Statistical procedures can be used in making these judgments.

The

inductive generalization may be stated in terms of a mathematical quantity.

Example  Pr emi se

: Six ty- fi ve per cen t of nur se s i n the sa mp le su ppo rt indepe nden t pri vate pra cti ce acti viti es i n n urs ing.  Conc lusi on: S ixty- five per ce nt of all nu rs es suppo rt indepe nden t pri vate pra cti ce acti viti es i n n urs ing.

Ret ro ducti on  The

retroductive form of reasoning is an approach to inquiry that uses analogy as a method for devising theory. It was viewed as the first stage in the search for understanding some surprising phenomenon in which a viewpoint offering a possible explanation is identified.

Th e f or m of t he ret rod uctiv e in fer en ce follow s:   

The su rpr isi ng f act, C , is obs erv ed . If A wer e true, C wou ld be a ma tt er o f co urse. Therefo re th ere is re ason to su spe ct tha t A i s tru e.

Ex amp le  Proposition

1 The role of expecting reward determines a relation between student and teacher that establishes a path for influence of the teacher on the student.

 Proposition

2 The role of expecting care and comport determines a relation between patient and nurses that establishes a path for influence of nurse on the patient.

An

analysis of the preceding form reveals that the theory models (retroductive) approach does not establish truth. Its function is to originate ideas about selected phenomenon that can be further developed and tested.

The ory C om po nen ts 

Co ncepts – the building blocks of theories, classify the phenomena of interest.

It may be classified as abstract or concrete. Ab stract con cep ts – are independent of a specific time or place.  Con cre te con ce pt – relate to particular time or place. 

It m ay b e cla ssif ied a s discr et e or co nti nuou s .  Discr ete

co ncept – identifies categories or classes of phenomena such as patient, nurse or environment.  Co nti nuous con cept – permits the classification of dimensions or gradations of a phenomenon on a continuum, such as degree or marital conflict.

2. Theo retic al Sta te ments – the development of theoretical statements asserting a connection between two or more concepts introduces the possibility of analysis.

Sta tem ent i n a th eor y c an b e cl as si fied i nto 3 g eneral ca tego ries:  Existence

of statements – assert that a given concept exists and is labeled with the concept name.  Definitions – provide description of the concept.  Relational Statements – asserts the relationship between the properties of two or more concepts or variables.

Def in it io ns  The ore tical

d efinit io ns – permits consideration of the relationship between a given concept and other theoretical ideas, but a clear meaning for concepts is not sufficient.  Ope rati ona l de finitions – relate the concepts to observables phenomena by specifying empirical indicators.

Lin ka ges  Th eoretica

l Li nka ges – offers an explanation of why the variables in the theory may be connected in some manner; that is, the theoretical reasons for asserting particular interrelationship. This rationale contributes plausibility to the theory.

 Opera

ti on li nkage – contribute the element of testability to the theory by specifying how variables are connected. It provides testability of the assertions. It contributes a perspective for understanding the nature of the relationship between concepts, such as whether the relationship between the concepts is negative or positive, linear or curvilinear.

Form s o f Th eory Organizat ion A

formal theory is a systematically developed, conceptual system that addresses a given set of phenomena.

Th ree F or ms f or Organizin g Th eor y 1. Set -of-L aws The set-of-laws approach attempts to organize findings from empirical research.

Di sad va ntag es to set- of -laws app ro ach  Lengthy

set of generalizations may be difficult to organize and interrelate.  The procedure eliminates more highly abstract or theoretical concepts that might be useful in developing an understanding of the phenomenon of interest.  The statements are not interrelated; therefore research support for one statement does not provide support for any other statement.

2. Ax ioma ti c  the

Form

axiomatic from of theory organization is an interrelated, logical system. An axiomatic theory consists of explicit definitions, a set of concepts, a set of existence statement, and a set of relationship statements arranged in hierarchical order.

Adv anta ges of Ax ioma tic Fo rm  Theory

is a highly interrelated set of statements in which some statements are derived from others, not all concepts need to be operationally defined.  It may also be more efficient for explanation.

Adv anta ges of Ax ioma tic Fo rm  Empirical

support for one theoretical statement maybe judged to provide support for theory, thereby permitting less extensive research.  It may be organized in a casual process form to increase understanding.

3. Ca sual Pr oces s F or ms – The distinguishing feature of the

casual process from of theory is the development of theoretical statements that specify casual mechanisms between independent and dependent variables.

Ad van tag es o f th e Ca su al Pr ocess Fo rm  It

provides for highly abstract, theoretical concepts.  This forms permits more efficient research testing with its interrelated theoretical statements.  Provides a sense of understanding in the phenomenon of interest.

Crea ti vit y in Th eory  Theory

building involves discovery and creativity.  According to Rosenberg, creativity cannot be taught, it can be nurtured and develop. The individual role is to attain familiarity with the phenomenon of interest and continue to practice.

FOUR WAYS OF KNOWING  EMPIRICS  ETHICS  PERSONAL  AESTHETIC

or ESTHETIC

Thank You! & God Bless! Group 3 Joyce Burgos Miane, RN Thimozer Sembrano, RN Ma. Daren Dejusto, RN Janice Sarceno, RN Vincent B. Villaruz, RN