SOCIOL 213 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Stipulative Definition, Operationalization
15 Feb 2017
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Document Summary
Nominal definitions: indicate what a research concept means, a formal statement of the meaning of a research concept aka a dictionary definition. Operational definitions: indicate how a research concept will be measured, a formal statement indicating the methods used to gather information about the presence of a concept (ex. Interviews, observations, surveys, experimental manipulation, etc. : the indicators we will use to determine if our concepts exist. Our goal: to create good measurements using validity and reliability: basically providing the blueprints for the research project. Conceptualization: the process of specifying what we mean when we use particular terms. Provides a nominal definition (dictionary definition: nominal definition and dimensions of a concept. The dimension i"m interested in: indicators of our concept. What indicates the presence or absence of what i"m studying. Operationalization: the development of specific research procedure that will result in empirical observations of our concept. How to get data: taking measurements in the real world.
