概念生成.PDFVIP

概念生成 黄荣贵 概念 • 概念的重要性 – Concept formation lies at the heart of all social science endeavor – We play “musical chairs with words” • 三要件 – 被定义的事件或现象（外延；所指） – 规定的属性（内涵） – 所使用的标签 概念生成需要权衡不同的准则 Source: Gerring,1999,What Makes a Concept Good Concept? Familiarity • A demonstrable fit between new and old meanings of a given term • Incorporate standard meanings in new definition and avoid contradiction • Import ‘new’ terms from their normal contexts to a different context, taking on new meaning or additional sense Parsimony • Good concepts do not have endless definitions – Weigh attributes against parsimony • The item/label must be parsimonious too • Concepts with fewer definitional predicates preferable to those with multitude Coherence • Internal coherence is the most important criterion – definitional attributes and actual characteristics belong to each other – Different attributes should be closely related • To identify the essential / fundamental / core attributes • Including un-related attributes is generally not a good idea Differentiation • Distinguish it from most-similar concepts – Take ideology as an example • Useful definitions tell not only what a concept is, but also what is not • Concepts should be effectively operationalised, preferably in limited manners Depth • Ability of ‘bundle’ characteristics – Number of (defining / accompanying) properties shared by the phenomena in the extension • Deep concepts are preferable Theoretical utility • Concepts are building-blocks; theory-driven formation • Situated in the theoretical framework, or a theoretical typology – Not nec