• Know, understand, appreciate:
• Conception
• Concepts
• Conceptualization
• Conceptual Definitions
• Reification
• Dimensions
• Indicators
• Operationalization
• Operational definition
• Measurement
• Exhaustive/Exclusive Measurement
• Levels of Measurement
• Nominal, Ordinal, Interval, Ratio
• Composites; typology, index
• Quality
• Reliability; Re-test, Interrater reliability comparisons, Split-half comparisons
• Validity; Face, Criterion-Related, Construct, Content
Go through following principles, understand, and appreciate significance. Respond to prompts (underlined, italicized”.
• Conceptualization: Precise specification of what is meant by a concept
• Most important step in research
• Induction and deduction logic
• Explanation based on logic
• Least important step
• We observe what we observe
• Prediction is based on observations
Real vs Reification
• Reification
• Regarding things that are not real as real
• Capitalism Recidivism Supervision
• Question what indicates concept
• Real
• Observations
• Work, commodities, convictions, patrol car
• Question if generalization is appropriate
Since concepts dont really exist we rely on:
“Indicators”
• Events, situations that demonstrate the occurrence or presence of a concept
• Murder indicates crime
• Enlistment indicates patriotism
Provide an example of an indicator of frustration:
Constitutive Definition: is the dictionary-like broad description of what a “concept” is.
Conceptual Dimensions
• Categories/parts of a concept or different sub-concepts that are parts of the larger concept
• Crime seriousness = personal harm + monetary losses + fear increase, etc
Working Definition
• Working definition of a concept; how is it a variable
• Recidivism: number of people incarcerated who have been previously incarcerated and released
Operational Definition
• Description of the process used in observing/measuring/scoring an indicator
As we operationalize, we must figure out what are the true/real attributes of a concept (variable); what are the appropriate levels of measurement.
Levels of Measurement
• Nominal
• Attributes are only exhaustive and mutually exclusive (ie is “sex” either male, female, or both?
• Provide an example of a nominal concept/variable:
• Ordinal
• Attributes maybe logically ranked (ie is “sex” completely male, mostly male, equal male and female, mostly female, and completely female?
• Provide an example of a ordinal concept/variable:
• Interval
• When the ranked distance between attributes has logical meaning (ie age consists of the exact same time between attributes – 12 to 13 is 365 days and 51 to 52 is also 365 days.
• Provide an example of a interval concept/variable:
• Ratio
• Attributes are based on a true zero point and intervals have ratio properties (10 is twice as much as 5) (ie age has a zero, therefor someone can be half as old as somebody else.)
• Provide an example of a ratio concept/variable:
When we conceptualize and “create” variables and measure a concept in reality, we want that measure to truly measure the concept……
Validity of Instrument
• The measure taken is reflective of the concept to be measured
• Methods of demonstrating validity
• Face validity
• Make sense
• Criterion-related validity
• Predicts measurements of other instruments that measure the concept
• Construct validity
• It results in logical relationships with other variables ( a measure of frustration has correlation with a measure of aggression)
• Content validity
• Extent to which instrument measures entire range of construct’s meanings
Conceptually and operationally Define one of these constructs:
Constitutive Definition, Working definition(s) of all the dimensions(variables) that may be part of the construct, operational definitions of all the variables
Criminality
Gender
Political orientation
Or Self-Concept
