The technique of "+, -, x, ÷" in theory building

My student recently suggested to me that, oftentimes, theory development in Research work is based on the the technique of "+, -, x, ÷". That is, we add, minus, multiply and divide some attributes or ideas from some existing theories to develop new ideas (or theories); often, we reconfigure the relationship among the various variables in an existing theoretical framework to develop a new theoretical framework. I want to illustrate with the following diagrams to show how this technique is applied to develop new ideas:


New idea 1: Beana Lisa



New idea  2: Mellow Lisa

New idea 3: Mona Lisa and Mina Lisa



All the new ideas are not totally new; they are the products of the application of the formula of "+, -, x, ÷" in theory building.

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