PSYC 2360 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Operational Definition, Endocrine System, Job Performance

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 2360
• Professor: Gloriagonzalez-morales

Document Summary

Measurement: assignment of numbers to objects or events in according to specific rules. Research hypothesis involves a prediction about the relationship between or among 2 variables. When stated in an abstract manner, the ideas that form the basis of a research hypothesis are known as conceptual variables. Measurement involves turning conceptual variables into measurement variables, which consist of numbers that represent the conceptual variables. Measured variables are referred to as measures of conceptual variables. The transformation from conceptual to measured variable can be direct or can be assessed by many different measures. Operational definition: precise statement of how a conceptual variable is turned into a measured variable. Research can only proceed once an adequate operational definition has been defined. In some cases the conceptual variable may be too vague to be operationalized, and in other cases the variable cannot be operationalized because the appropriate technology has not been developed.