SOCIOL 5 Chapter 5: Babbie CH
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Conceptualization = mental process whereby fuzzy and imprecise notions (concepts) are made more specific and precise. Ex. want to study prejudice, what are they? (different kinds) Language and communication work from the extent of overlap of agreements in society in people"s minds. 3 classes of things: direct observables: things we can observe rather simply and directly, indirect observables: require relatively more subtle, complex, or indirect observations, constructs: theoretical creations based on observations but cannot be observed directly or indirectly (ex. Indicator: an observation that we choose to consider as a reflection of a variable we wish to study. Attending religious services might be considered an indicator of religiosity. Religiosity might be specified in terms of a belief dimension, ritual dimension, a devotional dimensions, a knowledge dimension, and so forth. Disagreeing totally on value of indicators, one solution is study all of them.
