1. Crescendo-Decrescendo Theory
Your Name(s)
COMM 2223 / SPCH 2203
Foundations of Communication
Date

2. Unit Name
Chapter # and title

3. Who? Tom Walton Dr. Gil Clardy
Junior Communication major at University of Evansville
Dr. Gil Clardy
Assistant Professor of Communication at University of Evansville

4. Defining theory: what’s in a name
The Crescendo-Decrescendo Theory hypothesizes that politicians and athletes tend to follow a pattern of achieving great successes followed by great failures followed by greater successes followed by greater failures with the ultimate outcome being either an ultimate success or ultimate failure.

5. Features of Theory Level of generality Broad? Mid-range? Narrow?
The theory is limited to studying only U.S. Presidents and champion athletes.

6. Components Concepts Nominal? Real?
crescendo-decrescendo relates directly to and connotes a pattern of highs and lows in observable behaviors with clearly defined criteria
Relationships
an extension of Aristotle’s ‘tragic hero’ paraphrased in today’s language as “the bigger they are, the harder they fall.”

7. Goals To explain? To understand? To predict? To effect social change?
Is it inevitable that we can expect a pattern to the achievements then failures to cycle over the course of the career of U.S. Presidents and champion athletes?

8. Approaches to knowing: how do you see (and talk about) the world?
General approaches
Empirical?
Interpretive?
Critical?
From observations we’ve noticed about Richard Nixon and Muhammad Ali up to this point in their careers we want to see if our theory really is consistent as their careers continue

9. Approaches to knowing: what questions do you ask about the world?
Ontology?
Is it more the standard than the exception that those who attain great power and/or success have a consistent series of predictable highs and lows?
Epistemology?
Observe over the course of a career
Axiology?
Can lessons be learned to help others prevent tragic falls after attainment of great heights

10. Approaches to knowing: how do you go about theory building?
Guidelines
Covering law approach?
Rules approach?
Systems approach?
Can the behavior of those individuals with the personality to attain great heights somehow be taught or forewarned to avoid the tragic falls?

11. The research process Step 1: Methods Deductive? Inductive?
A great success will be followed by a tragic fall.
Richard Nixon has recently had a great success.
A tragic falls will happen soon to Richard Nixon.
A tragic fall will be followed by a great success.
Muhammad Ali has recently had a tragic fall.
A great success will happen soon to Muhammad Ali.

12. Step 2: Operationalizing methods
Making observations?
Following selected individuals’ careers from beginning to end
Collecting data?
Charting their patterns of successes and failures

13. Conducting research Step 3: Conducting research Reliability?
Our initial data based on the career of Richard M. Nixon since 1946 and Muhammad Ali since 1960 indicates that the theory may be provable.
Validity?
At this point in time (1973), we predict Nixon is due to suffer a catastrophic failure and Ali is due to achieve a monumental success.

14. Step 4: Evaluating theory
Scope
This narrow theory establishes a pattern that may be meaningful in predicting the inevitability of highs and lows in a career to convince those individuals to better guard against taking falls and/or the possible consequences og attaining great heights.
We recognize it’s very limited at this early stage.

15. Logical consistency
It’s from a traditional idea that tries to see if it is still relevant today
It stays within its parameters and professes not to be of any grand scale.

16. Parsimony
Since it’s based on a traditional concept and access to information is so readily available about “newsmakers,” then is seems to be very simple to understand

17. Utility
It doesn’t really delve into anything new, it merely tries to establish if the behavioral pattern studied is consistent enough to be inevitable and predictable.

18. Testability
The only barrier to the accuracy of investigating this theory is time itself. It may take 40 or more years before publication can occur.

19. Heurism
Plenty more can be done with this theory. Besides future U.S. Presidents and champion athletes, the theory could be expanded to included business leaders and entrepreneurs, or even interpersonal relationships.

20. Test of time
It will be interesting to see that if this theory is eventually proven will it take on any “universal” qualities, then will future individuals be able to break the cycle because of it, thus causing the theory to “effect social change.”

21. Conclusions What do you think?
Do you agree or disagree with what the textbook authors say?
How does this theory relate to your career field and/or personal life?

22. Scenario Mediated? Face-to-face? As it applies to career field?
As it applies to personal life?