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9 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Measurement
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the process by which we observe the things we want to study; observing our objects of study
• How we turn abstract ideas, causal theory, into concrete empirical tests |
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Conceptual definition
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tells us what we mean by this concept we are trying to measure; come to agreement with others about what it is we want to study; stating the thing that you want to measure
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Operational definition
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identifying the indicators; a sign of the presence or absence of the concept
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Indicators
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a sign of the presence or absence of the concept;
• Example: Independent variable – type of gov.; Dependent variable = economic performance; indicator = GDP growth |
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Levels of measurement
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numerical mapping; coding of a variable
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Nominal
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distinctions in kind (different number is a different category)
• Categorical: gender, race, type of government |
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Ordinal
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rank order on a continuum; do NOT know position, only order
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Interval
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relative position on a continuum; know position and order; intervals between numbers are meaningful
• years, SAT/IQ scores, temperature |
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Ratio
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absolute position on a continuum; where the number falls relative to 0, absence of what you are measuring; can say something is twice as much as another
• number of cars someone has, number of children someone has; 0 must mean the absence of what you are measuring |
