《社会研究方法》艾尔巴比 英文ppt Ch5.pptVIP

Chapter 5 Conceptualization, Operationalization, and Measurement Chapter Outline Introduction Measuring Anything That Exists Conceptualization Definitions in Descriptive and Explanatory Studies Operationalization Choices Criteria of Measurement Quality A Quandary Revisited Measurement Careful, deliberate observations of the real world for the purpose of describing objects and events in terms of the attributes composing a variable. Question It is truly possible to measure the stuff of life. True False Answer: True It is truly possible to measure the stuff of life. Conceptualization Process of specifying what we mean when we use particular terms. Produces an agreed upon meaning for a concept for the purposes of research. Describes the indicators well use to measure the concept and the different aspects of the concept. Indicators and Dimensions An indicator is a sign of the presence or absence of the concept we’re studying. Dimension is a specifiable aspect of a concept. “Religiosity” might be specified in terms of a belief dimension, a ritual dimension, a devotional dimension, a knowledge dimension, and so forth. Question ___________ refers to mental images. perspectives theories conception methods Answer: C Conception refers to mental images. Interchangeability of Indicators If several different indicators all represent the same concept, all of them will behave the same way the concept would behave if it were real and could be observed. If women are more compassionate, we should be able to observe that using a reasonable measure of compassion. If women are more compassionate only on some indicators, we should see if the indicators represent different dimensions of compassion. Specification of Concepts The specification of concepts in scientific inquiry depends on nominal and operational definitions. A nominal definition is simply assigned to a term without any claim that the definition represents a “real” entity. An operational definition specifies precisel