CRIM 220 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Operational Definition, Construct Validity, Trait Theory
Document Summary
Whether statements about cause or measures are correct or incorrect. Validity threats are possible sources of false conclusions. Conceptualization is making something more concrete conceptions vs constructs. Conception: subjective thought about things we encounter in daily life. Concepts: words symbols used to represent these mental images. E. g. , aggression, punishment, chivalry, fear delinquency, poverty, intelligence, racism three classes that scientists measure. Direct observables - things or qualities we can observe directly (color, shape) Indirect observable - require relatively more subtle, complex, or indirect observations for things that cannot be observed directly (reports, court transcripts, criminal history records) Constructs theoretical creations based on things that cannot be observed directly or indirectly (iq) conceptualization. Specifying precisely what we mean when we use particular terms. Results in a set of indicators of what we have in mind. Indicates a presence or absence of the concept we are studying.