PSYB04H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Ed Diener, Theoretical Definition, Operationalization
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Introduction: when researchers test theories or pursue empirical questions, they have to systematically observe the phenomena by collecting data. 1 corresponded to "strongly disagree" and 7 corresponded to "strongly agree": ____1. I am satisfied with my life: ____4. So far i have gotten the important things i want in life: ____5. Image a ladder with steps numbers from 0 at the bottom and 10 at the top. The top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible life for you. They start by stating a definition of their construct (the conceptual variable) and then create an operational definition. For example, a researcher could operationalize happiness by observing how many times a person smiles: observational measures may record physical traces of behaviour. It is best when self-report, observational, and physiological measures show similar patterns of results.
