Theory Construction and Model-Building Skills

“This book provides a unique and important contribution about a neglected process central to the social sciences. It stands above all other books on theory construction in its insights, clarity, breadth, and practical focus. On each reading, I discover new and useful advice to help both young and experienced researchers bring creative and rigorous thinking to their work. The writing style feels like a conversation with these highly successful authors, rather than a formal treatise on each topic. The book’s multidisciplinary approach highlights the importance of theory construction using a wide range of tools: mathematical or quantitative, conceptual, and qualitative or observational. New chapters and other new content in the second edition are important and welcome additions. This invaluable book belongs on the shelf of every graduate student who pursues research, and is extremely useful for practitioners who need to critically read research reports.”

—David Brinberg, PhD, R. O. Goodykoontz Professor of Marketing, Virginia Tech


“This exceptional second edition focuses on how to ask and answer research questions in a way that will lead to sound conceptualizations and theory development. Written in an engaging, vivid, and crystal-clear manner, the book includes hands-on, tricks-of-the-trade approaches. Every page reflects the joy and satisfaction that come with fostering scientific creativity to address social and clinical science problems. The companion website has very detailed and informative resources. Filling a gap in its emphasis on how to do theory-driven science, this amazing, unique text has much to offer to students and new and seasoned researchers.”

—Wendy K. Silverman, PhD, ABPP, Alfred A. Messer Professor of Child Psychiatry and Director, Anxiety and Mood Disorders Program, Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine


“Essential reading for students in the social sciences, this book removes the mystery behind learning to think like a scientist. Jaccard and Jacoby teach the tricks of the trade—the cognitive maneuvers, representational strategies, and creativity heuristics—that any researcher can employ to build stronger, more informative, and testable theories. No other source covers the range of strategies for increasing the impact and relevance of theories. This book can serve as a stand-alone text in courses devoted to theory construction or as a supplemental text in more general courses on scientific and research methods. The new companion website for the second edition is invaluable; it presents useful exercises to help students build working knowledge of the concepts and strategies in the text.”

—Hart Blanton, PhD, Department of Communication, Texas A&M University


“How exciting! In this second edition, readers are going to find new concepts and methods for infusing theory into quantitative and qualitative research. Jaccard and Jacoby continue to take on the big ideas in social science research methods with clear exposition of complex topics and balanced guidance for new scholars.”

—Sean Kelly, PhD, Department of Administrative and Policy Studies, University of Pittsburgh School of Education


“This outstanding book helps students understand the fundamentals of what a good theory is and how to use research to construct theories. It also shows how theory is used to guide the development of measures and interventions. It is a ‘must read’ for all doctoral students. Among the enhancements of the second edition is the great companion website, which offers resources and learning tools related to every chapter. I use this book in a doctoral-level class on theories and would recommend it to anyone who teaches theory to doctoral students.”

—Cynthia G. S. Franklin, PhD, Associate Dean for Doctoral Education and Stiernberg/Spencer Family Professor in Mental Health, School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin


“At a time when science is often misunderstood if not outright denigrated by the lay public, it is essential that aspiring social scientists come to learn how theories should be formulated, tested, and revised. As a complement to textbooks focused on research methods and statistics, this beautifully written book on how to construct and evaluate theories—better than any other I’ve seen—will equip students and young scientists for this very purpose.”

—Saul Kassin, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Psychology, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York