Wednesday 22 July 15:40
- 17:10
Hall: 03 - Volta
Chair and Presenter:
Kozlowski Steve
Co-Chair:
Chao Georgia
Division: Division 1: Work and Organizational Psychology
The purpose of this symposium is to conceptually distinguish process theorizing, using computational modeling, from conventional construct theorizing, explicate the quality and depth of theoretical explanation provided by each approach, discuss implications for causal inference, and illustrate the application of computational process theorizing (CPT) with two exemplars focused on different phenomena. Although virtually every theory in organizational and work psychology endeavors to provide an explanation of the processes that are responsible for a focal phenomenon, invariably the explanation is hypothesized in terms of relationships between or among constructs. Unfortunately, construct relationships are not directly informative regarding underlying processes and, moreover, are not revealing of the deeper generative mechanisms that drive process phenomena. Construct-based theorizing, which dominates research in organizational and work psychology, is deficient in its depth of explanation and explication of causal mechanisms. To make theoretical advances in understanding processes and their dynamics, the field must embrace CPT.
The symposium presentations build upon one another to provide an in-depth understanding of CPT in relation to traditional construct theorizing. First, differences between construct and process theorizing will be discussed and the layers of theoretical explanation (LTE) will be presented to highlight the quality of explanation provided by each approach. Second, a simulated data example will be presented to illustrate concretely how CPT and data compared to construct theory and data, encompasses the LTE. Third, implications for causal inferences relevant to process vs construct theorizing will be discussed. These three integrated presentations will be followed by two CPT examples addressing different process phenomena - cognition in human-AI teams and strategic consensus in sales and operational planning - to illustrate the application of the CPT approach to theory building. The Co-Chairs will facilitate discussion with audience members and encourage more researchers to take a process perspective in research.
