Conceptualisation and operationalisation Flashcards
What are concepts composed of? (3)
Direct observables, indirect observables, constructs
Example of direct observables?
Colour, height
Example of indirect observables?
Questionnaire on age, income
Example of construct?
IQ
What is conceptualisation?
Mental process through which we specify concepts, make them precise
What is the process of conceptualisation?
Specify indicators and dimensions of a concept
What is the goal of conceptualisation?
To specify a working definition to keep operationalisation
What are indicators?
Markers or signs that tell you about the absence or presence of a concept
What are dimensions?
Terms that define subgroups or aspects of a concept
What’s an operational definition?
A clearer working definition that specifies how we can measure the concept
How do we operationalise? (4+1)
All about the measurements
You must link the abstract to the concrete
Think about dimensions and indicators
Link your definition to a specific set of measurement techniques
Identify variables and their attributes
What are the different levels of measurement? (4)
Nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio
Nominal?
Difference in quality rather than quantity - no ranking
Characteristics are mutually exclusive (gender)
Ordinal?
Order/ranking. Values differ in quantity. Ex. socio-economics status
Interval?
Fixed, uniform, intervals: 0 value doesn’t mean the value isn’t present. Ex. Celsius scale
Ratio?
Zero point means something. Ex. Age
What are the 3 important elements to remember about reliability?
- Consistent measurement
- Same results when replicated
- Does not ensure accuracy
How do you improve reliability? (5)
- Importance of clarity
- Increase level of measurement
- Test- retest method (measure twice with same subjects)
- Split-half method : assessed by using multiple indicators
- inter-observer reliability: ensure researchers are getting the same results from the same sample
Validity?
A measure that accurately reflects the concept it is intended to measure
Ways to ensure Validity? (…-validity –> 4)
- Face validity (eyeball test)
- Content validity - is definition represented in the measure?
- Criterion validity See how well it can predict
- Construct validity: does operational definition correlate with the other variables?
Ways to calculate data? (2) … construction logic
- Index construction logic (different actions, get 1 point for each - sum)
- Scale construction logic (pyramid accumulation)
Things to consider when selecting indicators? (5)
- Face validity
- Unidimensionality
- Level of specificity
- Variance
- Relationship between indicators
