Table 1. Domains of Assumptions Shaping Scientific Frameworks and Resulting Theory.

This table summarizes domains of theoretical assumptions for scientific frameworks which shape the scientific theories resulting from them. As a case study, we highlight the framework of assumptions for Affect-as-Information Theory, to provide an exemplar in affective research. The first two rows correspond to domains of assumptions embedded in our individual contexts as affective researchers; the latter rows are the assumptions about affective phenomena themselves. Each unitalicized domain forms the basis of the italicized domain following it. Finally, the last row, indicated in bold, corresponds to the collective of all the domains of assumptions above it.

Domain of Assumptions (collectively, framework)	Description	Relationships between Domains of Assumptions	Shorthand	Exemplar in Affective Research Affect-as-Information Theory (Schwarz and Clore, 1983, 2003; Clore et al., 2001; Schwarz, 2012)
Pragmatics	assumed context-dependent motivation for the study of theoretical constructs	Shapes metaphysics and mechanism and, therefore, determines construct and operationalization.	why a construct should be studied and why a certain operationalization should be used to study it	Affect should be studied as information, by observing its effect on judgments, to situate subjective experience in decision-making.
Theoretical virtues	assumed desiderata for what makes good framework and theory (e.g., parsimony, elegance, simplicity)	shaped by aesthetic preferences; frames how theory that applies construct and operationalization is evaluated	why an explanation of a phenomenon is good	Characterizing affect as information provides parsimonious explanation for its influence on decision-making.
Metaphysics	assumed nature of phenomenon	shaped by pragmatics	what the phenomenon is	One set of studies testing affect-as-information theory examines mood as an influence on decision-making.
Construct	assumed abstraction of phenomenon	shaped by pragmatics, metaphysics, and (sometimes) operationalization;	what construct is studied	Mood is construed as ranging from positive to negative.
Mechanism	assumed process of phenomenon	guided by pragmatics and metaphysics	how phenomenon arises	In the mechanism of mood functioning as information, positive valence biases positive judgment and negative valence biases negative judgment.
Operationalization	assumed measurement of abstracted phenomenon	guided by pragmatics, construct, and mechanism	how construct is observed	Overall positive to negative mood was manipulated by prompting recall of happy or sad events.
Teleology	assumed purpose of the phenomenon existing	determined by pragmatics; motivates metaphysics and mechanism	why phenomenon exists	Affect-as-information theory suggests that mood functions as information in order to indicate benign or problematic environment.
Framework (or paradigm)	a set of the above domains of assumptions; terms used to articulate and organize testable theories	usually explicitly or implicitly consists of all of the above	all of the above	All of the above