PNB 3RM3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Theoretical Definition, Operational Definition, Internal Validity

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour
• Course: PNB 3RM3
• Professor: Jennifer Ostovich

Document Summary

Refers to the process of systematically assigning values to represent attributes of (whatever we"re measuring) The process of systematically (according to some rule) assigning values to our variables to represent attributes of organisms, objects, or events. Measurement is a challenge because we tend to measure things that are abstract (intelligence, emotion) We must find a way to concretize these things. Very important that we think carefully about what we"re going to measure and how. Once we"ve made these decisions, we need to know whether our measure is good. A variable can be represented in two different ways. Researcher"s definition of the concept; how they"ve decided to define it. The definition of the variable at the abstract level decided by the researcher to represent their construct. The conceptual definition explains what you mean by the word/concept. Specific procedures that the researcher"s using in order to measure or manipulate that conceptual level.