ABSTRACT
Current evolutionary theory (Eldredge & Gould, 1972; Gould, 1982, 1983; Mayr, 1992) holds that species develop in punctuated equilibria that are characterized by long periods of stasis interrupted by abrupt morphological change. I became interested in the parallels between memes and genes while writing an article on types of concepts used by communication researchers covering a span of 20 years (Hamilton & Nowak, 2005). Although the periodicity of conceptual change in the social sciences is on a minute scale compared to species change across epochs, our data suggested that concepts, like species, do not develop gradually or at a uniform rate. Rather, social scientific concepts evolve in punctuated equilibria marked by periods of intense change brought about by the introduction of new ideas, theories, or approaches. These new ideas can account for anomalous findings within the scientific community that have disturbed the flow of normal science. These new ideas transform the conceptual landscape by altering the paradigm within a discipline. Following such dynamic periods are static periods of conventional studies that seek to establish the boundaries of the new paradigm.
