PSYC1001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Vitalism, Deep Sleep Therapy, Social Desirability Bias
2 Jul 2018
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12/04/2018 The Power of a Name: Measurement and Constructs
A construct is an idea or theory often expressed as a single word, but containing a lot of
assumptions, and conceptual relationships
We need scientific constructs to be as clear as possible as we use them to make predictions
Conceptual definition of a construct – describing a construct in terms of what it is and what
it is not and how it might relate to existing theories
Reification – when a purely analytic or abstract relationship is treated as if it is a concrete
entity – when an adjective is treated like a noun
Freud’s psychoanalytic approach is an e.g. of fascinating explanations that are hard to falsify
and hard to distinguish between
Operational definition of a construct – explanation of how that construct might be measured
– how a construct is operationalised might depend on which aspect of the construct is
important to the particular research, how much money and time the researchers have and
what kind of research design is going to be used to study the construct
Construct (Comes from Theory): Operational Definition (Can be Observed):
Motivation Rate of button pressing
Memory Number of things recalled
Learning Decrease in time to solve puzzle
Personality Score on questionnaire
Arousal Heart rate, blood pressure
Attitude Number circled on a scale
Concept/Construct – representation in the human mind, hypothetical which is used to
describe something in the world
Scientific – heat energy, atomic forces, degrees centigrade, time in seconds, tablespoon,
gram
Evolution of constructs to better measure things
Constructs can be manipulated to fool you
Scientific constructs are specific and easy to understand
We need constructs which are universal across the world
Psychological constructs: memory, intelligence, personality, consciousness/self-control,
attitude, mood, arousal, motivation
How do we measure them?
Conceptually defining something is saying if something is real, useful and observable
Reification – the treatment of an analytic or abstract relationship as though it were a
concrete entity (e.g. “evil” went from an adjective to a noun) – turning an adjective into a
noun, a property into a construct
Is it a real thing we are measuring or is it a property?
“Vitalist thinking”
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
A construct is an idea or theory often expressed as a single word, but containing a lot of assumptions, and conceptual relationships. We need scientific constructs to be as clear as possible as we use them to make predictions. Conceptual definition of a construct describing a construct in terms of what it is and what it is not and how it might relate to existing theories. Reification when a purely analytic or abstract relationship is treated as if it is a concrete entity when an adjective is treated like a noun. Freud"s psychoanalytic approach is an e. g. of fascinating explanations that are hard to falsify and hard to distinguish between. Operational definition of a construct explanation of how that construct might be measured. Concept/construct representation in the human mind, hypothetical which is used to describe something in the world. Scientific heat energy, atomic forces, degrees centigrade, time in seconds, tablespoon, gram. Scientific constructs are specific and easy to understand.
