Lecture 7 Flashcards
What is a concept?
- A general NOTION OR IDEA
- An idea of something formed by mentally combining all its characteristics or particulars: a construct.
- Something that cannot be directly or indirectly observed, its more of an abstraction
Which is a concept and which is a variable? : Gender & Male
Male, for example, is a concept
but can’t be a variable. It can only take on one value, and therefore is only an attribute. Gender, on the other hand, is a concept that can take on more than one value and therefore be a variable.
What is conceptualization?
Is a process through which we specify precisely what we will mean when we use particular terms
Please place these in order: (progression of measurement steps, start with a vague sense to specific measurement):
Operational definition, measurements in the real world, nominal definition, conceptualization.
A: conceptualization, nominal definition, operational definition, measurements in the real world.
What do indicators do?
They indicate the presence or absence of the concept
How we measure indicators is the issue of _______
Operationalization
What is operationalization?
- The selection/creation of a specific, concrete procedure to measure/manipulate the construct of interest
Fan definition:- Operationalization is the final specification of how we would recognize the attributes of a given variable in the real world.
In operationalization, concrete empirical procedures that will result in measurements of variables are specified
- Operationalization is the final specification of how we would recognize the attributes of a given variable in the real world.
Operational definition?
- An Operational Definition is the definition of a variable in terms of the operations or techniques used to measure or manipulate it. Examples: -“Height” as defined by the number of feet/inches a person is tall. * It is easier to define concrete terms than abstract terms.
Other example: when researching Happiness, using facial expression to measure happiness. (facial expression as operational definition)
What is the process of conceptualization ? (6)
CO OI OH
1. CONCEPT : idea / mental image 2. OPERATIONAL DEFINITION - should be clear / defining necessary & sufficient conditions 3. Looking for something OBSERVABLE (measurable) 4. INDICATORS 5. OPERATIONALIZATION (how to measure indicators) 6. HYPOTHESIS
A definition is a statement that explains the meaning of a term. This statement satisfies both ______ and ______ conditions for the term.
Necessary & sufficient
What is necessary condition?
What MUST BE PRESENT in order for thing to be a thing to be a thing we define (a necessary condition for “bachelor” is “unmarried”
What is a sufficient condition?
Something that is ENOUGH for a thing to be a thing that we define
Being born in Canada is a ____ condition, but not a _______ condition for being a Canadian citizen.
Sufficient / necessary
Being in the 1 year HSBW program is a _______ condition for being a SW student.
Sufficient
Why do we need definitions in research?
How we choose to operationally define a variable can greatly influence our research findings