4. Learning Objectives
1. Understand the role of concepts as summary
devices for bringing together observations and
experiences that have something in common
2. Explain how concepts are mental images that do
not exist in the real world
3. Describe how operationalization specifies
concrete empirical procedures for measuring
variables
5. Learning Objectives
4. Distinguish different levels of measurement
and the properties of different levels
5. Understand precision, reliability, and
validity as dimensions of measurement
quality
6. Summarize how creating specific, reliable
measures may not reflect the complexity of
the concepts we seek to study
6. Learning Objectives
7. Understand how multiple measures of a
concept can improve reliability and validity
8. Describe composite measures and explain
their advantages
30. Concepts
• The words or symbols in language that we use to represent
mental images
• We use concepts to communicate with one another, to share
mental images
• Words and phrases we use represent abstractions
• Concepts are abstract because they are independent of the
labels assigned to them
43. Dimension
• Specific aspects of a concept.
• Indicators are groups by
dimensions.
• “Crime Seriousness”: Can be
subdivided into dimensions
• e.g., Dimension – Victim harm
• Indicators – Physical injury, economic loss,
psychological consequences
Because measurement is difficult and imprecise, researchers try to describe the measurement process explicitly
Ultimately, criminal justice and social science research seeks to communicate findings to an audience: That audience could be
Professors
Classmates
Journal Readers
Coworkers
The researcher is Moving from vague ideas and interests to a completed research report for each of those types of audiences.
With more precise definitions, we can begin to develop measures to apply in the real world
LO1, 2 – Conceptions and Concepts.
Clarifying abstract mental images is an essential first step in measurement
If you hear the word recidivism
What thoughts come to mind?
Ultimately recidivism is simply a term we use in communication
A word that represents a collection of related phenomena
Recidivism is A term that represents a collection of related phenomena we either observed or heard about somewhere
It’s a though we have file drawers in our minds containing thousands of sheets of paper, and each sheet has a label in the upper right corner
One sheet of paper in your file drawer has the term recidivism written on it in the upper right corner .
The technical name for those mental images, those sheets of paper In our file's drawers, is conception.
Each sheet of paper is a subject thought about things that we encounter in daily life
It as though we have a file draw in our mind containing thousands of sheets of paper and each sheet of paper in your file drawer has the term recivdism on it, and your classmate has one too
Each piece of paper is called a Conception
A general definition of conception is A subjective thought about the things that we encounter in daily life.
Remember, There is no way we can directly reveal what’s written on our mental images
Therefore we use the terms written in the upper right hand corners as a way of communicating about our conceptions and the things we observe that are related to those conceptions.
For example, the word Crime?
It represents our conception about certain kinds of behavior
But individuals have different conceptions; the may think of different kinds of behavior when they hear the word crime
Share your thoughts as a police officer here
Because conceptions are subject and cannot be communicative directly we use the words and symbols of language as a way to communction our conceptions and the things we observe that related to those concepts.
CONCEPTS
The words or symbols in language that we use to represent mental images
We use concepts to communicate with one another, to share mental images
Words and phrases we use represent abstractions
EXAMPLE SERIOUS CRIME
Concepts are abstract because they are independent of the labels assigned to them
Measurement is important. Recognizing that fact, and respecting it, will be of great benefit to you—both in research methods and in other areas of life as well. Measurement is critical to successfully pulling off a social scientific research project.
To link conceptions, concepts and measurement consider Dr. Abraham Kaplan’s (1964) discussion on the three classes of things that scientist measure
Direct Observables
Indirect Observables
Constructs
Direct Observables
Those things that we can observe simply and directly
Color of an apple or words in a crime report
Indirect Observables
Relatively more subtle, complex, or indirect observations
Newspaper stories, court transcripts, and criminal history records provide indirect observations of past actions
You get into a fender bender and the police officer responds…. In the police report he writes traffic accident in the place of offense type on a crime report and thus indirectly observed what crime has occurred.
Constructs
Theoretical creations based on things that cannot be observed directly or indirectly
Example IQ – measures the theoretical concept of intelligence by mathematical equations
Kaplin (1964) defined concepts as a construct.
So if your researching gang it is a construct created from your conceptions, those who studied it before you and used the term
Gangs can be studied both directly and indirectly
We can meaningfully discuss the concept., observe examples of serious crime, and measure it indirectly.
Conceptualization is a process that involves producing clear, concise definitions.
Conceptualization in quantitative research comes from the researcher's ideas or the literature.
Qualitative researchers conceptualize by creating working definitions which will be revised based on what participants say.
A conceptual definition tells you what the concept means
Process by which we specify precisely what we mean when we use particular terms
Researchers identify key concepts used in the research and provide a unified explanation of those concepts so that both the research team and the audience is on the same page.
LO1, 2
A good indicator of crime seriousness is the harm to the crime victim.
Physical Injury is an example of harm which is more likely to result from violent crime than a non violent crime
But what about types of harm, phycological harm harms produced by police actions
Dimension
Technical term for groupings
Some specifiable aspect of a concept
Specifying the different dimensions of a concept often paves the way for a more sophisticated understanding of what we are studying
“Crime Seriousness”: Can be subdivided into dimensions
e.g., Dimension – Victim harm
Indicators – Physical injury, economic loss, psychological consequences
Confusion Over Definitions and Reality
Our concepts are derived from the conceptions that summarize collections of seemingly related observations and experiences
Concepts are abstract and only mental creations
The terms we use to describe them do not have real and concrete meanings
What is poverty? delinquency? strain?
Although observations and experiences are real, our concepts are mental creations
The terms associated with concepts are merely devices created for communication
Confusion Over Definitions and Reality
Our concepts are derived from the conceptions that summarize collections of seemingly related observations and experiences
Concepts are abstract and only mental creations
The terms we use to describe them do not have real and concrete meanings
What is poverty? delinquency? strain?
Although observations and experiences are real, our concepts are mental creations
The terms associated with concepts are merely devices created for communication
Confusion Over Definitions and Reality
Our concepts are derived from the conceptions that summarize collections of seemingly related observations and experiences
Concepts are abstract and only mental creations
The terms we use to describe them do not have real and concrete meanings
What is poverty? delinquency? strain?
Although observations and experiences are real, our concepts are mental creations
The terms associated with concepts are merely devices created for communication
