PSYC26 Chapter 4: Chapter 4
Document Summary
Measurements involve two concepts: the thing you are measuring property of an event (ex. Duration: the measurement you produce label that relates to property. Measurement - the relation between a system of labels and the property of an empirical object or event: ex. , a ruler. Not so straightforward, but the concept is simple. Problem: sometimes the property you wish to measure is not directly observable: ex. Honesty you cannot measure that quantitatively like a ruler can measure: co(cid:374)(cid:272)ept is (cid:272)o(cid:374)stru(cid:272)ted out of thi(cid:374)gs (cid:455)ou"(cid:448)e (cid:271)ee(cid:374) taught, construct: abstract properties of things that cannot be directly measured. A variable is anything that can vary: certain property that is measured in different objects under different circumstances may not give the same answer variable. If measurement always yields same result you are not measuring a variable. Discussion of variables emphasizes concept of variability: variability: name for differences in measurement, sources of variability: factors that can cause these differences.
