Prof. Wylie’s Key STS Concepts, Theories, and Research Methods
Concept
(an abstract idea
based on evidence)
Reflective practice/
reflection-in-action
Definition
Example
Source(s) to start with,
then look for more
specific sources
Schon (1983, 1987)
Tacit knowledge
Schon (1983, 1987)
Black boxes
Latour (1987), Rodger et
al. (2009)
Values,
value-laden design
Schull (2012), Forsythe
(2001)
Responsible research
and innovation (RRI)
Latent and manifest
functions and
dysfunctions
Culture lag
Designing for social good
requires engineers to
anticipate future issues, be
reflexive, practice inclusion,
and respond to social realities.
Systems of knowledge and
tech have both obvious,
intended (manifest) effects
and subtle, unintended
(latent) effects. These effects
can be good (functions) or bad
(dysfunctions) for society. We
should study all of them to
truly understand a topic.
Social norms, values, and
institutions often move more
slowly than technological
change.
To solve the problem of farmers
burning agricultural waste,
designers must speak to
stakeholders to learn about their
goals (Bijker, 2017).
One manifest function for
society of sending students to
college is a more educated
workforce. One latent function
is the creation of professional
networks of people who know
each other. One manifest
dysfunction is enormous debt
for young people, which harms a
society’s economy. One latent
dysfunction is the worsening of
inequality, such as between
people who can attend college
and people who cannot.
Engineers have built drones with
many functions and capabilities.
However, there are few
regulations to prevent drones
from colliding with airplanes and
threatening human life.
Similarly, current social beliefs
about privacy oppose the idea of
drone surveillance.
Stilgoe et al. (2013),
Bijker (2017)
Merton (1968)
Godin (2010)
Prof. Wylie’s Key STS Concepts, Theories, and Research Methods
Experimenter’s
regress
Theory
(a system of
concepts that
explains something
about the world)
Actor-network theory
When conducting novel
research, how can
experimenters know whether
their results are accurate or
whether their research
methods are reliable?
The Challenger contained many
unique components, including a
system of rubber o-rings to seal
the fuel capsule. Engineers
tested the effectiveness of the
o-rings by blasting high-pressure
water at the capsule, but they
disagreed about whether the
results showed that the o-rings
performed effectively.
Collins and Pinch (1998,
chapter 2)
Definition
Example
Source(s) to start with,
then look for more
specific sources
Rodger et al. (2009),
Peine et al. (2017), Law
(1992)
Social construction of
technology (SCOT)
Pinch & Bijker
(1984/2012)
Interpretive flexibility
Pinch & Bijker
(1984/2012)
Technological
closure/stabilization
Pinch & Bijker
(1984/2012)
Technological
momentum
For societies to accept a
technological system, it must
first align with social context
and goals. Typical stages of
development include
invention and local
application, transfer to other
places, development of
supportive infrastructure, and
finally becoming the standard
The U.S. electrical grid began as
a small-scale experiment in the
1870s that grew in scale
alongside the construction of
infrastructure (e.g., poles and
lines, generators, electrical
companies, trained repair
experts). Now it is strongly
established as a technical
Nye (2006, pp. 52-56),
Hughes (1969)
Prof. Wylie’s Key STS Concepts, Theories, and Research Methods
accepted system that has
momentum, i.e., is difficult to
replace.
system that aligns with our
society’s way of life.
Diffusion of
innovations
Societies adopt new
technologies at different
speeds according to the
variables measured by these
models.
The relational view
Data, evidence, and ideas only
make sense within the context
of how they are made and
used. We must understand
how relationships with people
and things have shaped the
particular data/evidence/idea.
If we think of relationships
within a system as caring for
each other, how does that
change how we understand
that system?
Early adopters of iPhones were
considered rich, tech-savvy, and
glamorous. Their desirable social
status attracted the interest of
other consumers, who then
bought iPhones and created a
fast-growing demand.
We can only interpret COVID
case numbers when we know
how a case was defined, who
counted the cases and why, and
how people use those counts.
Ethics of care
Utilitarianism (ethics)
All actions should maximize
happiness. (Consequences of
an action are the most
important thing to analyze.)
Deontology
All actions should be guided
by a sense of duty. (Intentions
of an action are the most
important thing to analyze.)
Rogers (1962), Geroski
(2000)
Leonelli (2019, 2020)
To effectively limit the spread of Taylor (2020)
COVID, policymakers must
understand why certain
populations can’t follow
containment guidelines (such as
refugees, essential workers,
people who live in crowded
housing, etc.), in order to
change the system so that more
people can comply.
Building a nuclear power plant in Johnson (2020, ch 3)
Neighborhood Z would benefit
people who don’t live in Z and
who use the plant’s electricity,
while it would pose health risks
to people who live in Z but
provide them with electricity.
Should the plant be built in Z? In
terms of utilitarianism, we
would ask whether the risk of Z
dwellers’ potential suffering
outweighs the happiness of
everyone’s access to electricity.
Engineers should not build
Johnson (2020, ch 3)
unsafe designs because they
have moral duties to do good
work and to benefit society.
Another reason to build safe
designs is to avoid negligence
Prof. Wylie’s Key STS Concepts, Theories, and Research Methods
lawsuits; however, that reason is
not moral because it is about
personal interest, not duty.
Virtue ethics
Technological
determinism, social
determinism
STS Research
Method
All actions should reflect what
it means to be a good person.
(The virtues of the actor are
the most important thing to
analyze.)
Building a nuclear power plant in Johnson (2020, ch 3)
Neighborhood Z would benefit
people who don’t live in Z and
who use the plant’s electricity,
while it would pose health risks
to people who live in Z but
provide them with electricity.
Should the plant be built in Z? In
terms of virtue ethics, we would
ask whether building the plant in
Z would align with the ideal of a
good electricity provider, such as
being fair, honest, valuing
sustainability and safety, etc.
Technology alone causes
Stirrups caused feudalism
Wyatt (2008)
human behavior; society alone because knights could stay on
causes human behavior.
their horses better while
(WARNING: These are
fighting. (Isn’t that ridiculous?) A
extreme and oversimplified
society’s norms and values
claims that are only useful to
cause people to commit suicide.
argue against. Neither is a
(So in this view, suicide is not a
legitimate argument in itself.) result of mental illness, for
example. Ridiculous.)
Definition
Interviews*
Talking to people
Ethnography*
Observing how people behave
Example
Finding out the factors that
influence how undergraduates
choose their majors. Learning
how professional engineers
make decisions about
sustainability for their work.
Watching how people do
research (e.g., Latour and
Woolgar 1986) or interact with a
technology, e.g., electronic
gambling machines (Schull,
2012)
Source(s) to start with,
then look for more
specific sources
Bailey (2007, ch 7)
Bailey (2007, ch 6),
Schull (2012), Forsythe
(2001), Latour and
Woolgar (1986)
Prof. Wylie’s Key STS Concepts, Theories, and Research Methods
Surveys*
Asking standard questions of
anonymous respondents
Literature review
A study of secondary sources
(i.e., what do scholars already
know about your topic?)
Document analysis
A study of primary sources
(i.e., what can you learn about
a specific dataset or body of
evidence?)
A study of policy documents
(e.g., laws, government
hearings, institutional
guidelines)
A study to evaluate the moral
decisions behind research or
technology, in order to
propose the best decision
Policy analysis
Ethical analysis
Opinion polls, the U.S. census,
measuring undergraduate
engineers’ ethical awareness
(e.g., the ESIT test)
How do scholars define
cyberwarfare? What do scholars
recommend the United States
do about its crumbling
infrastructure?
How are electric cars portrayed
in science fiction novels? What
imagery do social media firms
use to attract users?
What is the current status of
drone regulation in the United
States vs. in Canada?
Kelley et al. (2003, URL
below), Colorado State
Guide (URL below)
An engineering firm builds a
bridge that collapses. What
should the engineers have done
to prevent that failure? What
should they do to respond to the
failure?
Johnson (2020, ch 3)
Turabian (2010/2019, ch
4-6)
Mogalakwe (2006)
Patton and Sawicki
(2012, ch 1)
*If you hope to publish your STS research in any form, then you’ll need ethical approval from UVA’s
Institutional Review Board (IRB) before you use these research methods.
Kelley et al. (2003): https://academic.oup.com/intqhc/article/15/3/261/1856193
Colorado State Survey Guide: https://writing.colostate.edu/guides/guide.cfm?guideid=68