Health Sciences 2801A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Operational Definition, Scientific Theory, Case Report
9 Apr 2020
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Document Summary
The role of theory evaluating literature levels of evidence. Purposes of theories among variables in a systematic way. Theory: a set of interrelated concepts, definitions, or propositions that specify relationships. Scientific theory: theories that deal with empirical world of observation and experience. Components of theories: concepts: abstractions that allow us to classify natural phenomena and empirical observations, when concepts can be assigned values, they can be manipulated as variables, construct: a concept that cannot be directly observed. Like physically observable quantities, constructs must be operationally defined: operational definition: a concrete behavioural or observational requirement that is assigned to a construct so that it may be observed. Model: an analogy for a complex phenomenon. Reduces detail while leaving conceptual structure as intact as possible. May be used to stimulate real-world conditions. May be used to represent a process. Statistical models describe the quantitative relationship between variables by using symbols. Multiple investigations and observations lead to a determination of which variables are.
