4 ms·

>> operational definition lacking It's seems like the dictionary pretty much covers it: "conservative adjective con·ser·va·tive \kən-ˈsər-və-tiv\ : believing

by elipsey 11y ago

>> operational definition lacking It's seems like the dictionary pretty much covers it: "conservative adjective con·ser·va·tive \kən-ˈsər-və-tiv\ : believing in the value of established and traditional practices in politics and society : relating to or supporting political conservatism Conservative : of or relating to the conservative party in countries like the United Kingdom and Canada : not liking or accepting changes or new ideas" In other words, the operational definition might be something like: Conservatism is a decision process that seeks to minimize changes to our societel rules and models of natural processes. E.g.: "good" and "evil" are old and well understood models for human behavior, and social psychology is new and less tested, so let's not change models too hastily. Well, this thread will be hilarious if it sticks around for more then 5 minutes. I guess I'll go make some popcorn...

PeterWhittaker 11y ago
Except that those are not "operational definitions" as normally used in sciences, esp. in psychology, the subject at hand, but dictionary definitions - and dictionaries being circular, well.... (The point of indicating such definitions were lacking was to illustrate an irony, apparently lost, an irony present even if the suggestion of the article is intriguing.)
- elipsey 11y ago
  Please enlighten me, I'm not afraid to be wrong :) I thought an "Operational Definition" was "a result of the process of operationalization and is used to define something (e.g. a variable, term, or object) in terms of a process (or set of validation tests) needed to determine its existence, duration, and quantity" [1] I thought this meant a procedure who's results satisfy a set of definition criteria. So if the operational definition is "does the decision making algorithm change stuff?" that's derivative, not circular. It might also be inadequate, but you didn't argue that. So we can either chose a set of selection criteria for the results of a procedure, or chose a procedure that satisfies the selection criteria, but if neither of those is good enough, how can we operationalize the definition of anything? [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operational_definition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operational_definition
  - PeterWhittaker 11y ago
    I think the simplest way to put it is that a dictionary definition is heuristic while an operational definition is quantifiable. One reads a number of dictionary definitions, and possibly literary works, etc., until one "groks" what the term means. An operational definition usually (or should) include specific objective measurement criteria such that anyone can perform the measurement(s) and conclude whether or not the subject meets the terms of the definition. Unfortunately, the Duarte, et al, article to which this article was a response is not available ($45!) so I cannot tell whether it had operational definitions of diversity, liberalism, conservatism, etc. My guess is that surveys and self-reporting ("do you consider yourself liberal/conservative" or "to what extent do you share this liberal/conservative value", e.g.) were used to evaluate diversity in the field....

by elipsey 11y ago

PeterWhittaker 11y ago

Except that those are not "operational definitions" as normally used in sciences, esp. in psychology, the subject at hand, but dictionary definitions - and dictionaries being circular, well.... (The point of indicating such definitions were lacking was to illustrate an irony, apparently lost, an irony present even if the suggestion of the article is intriguing.)

elipsey 11y ago
Please enlighten me, I'm not afraid to be wrong :) I thought an "Operational Definition" was "a result of the process of operationalization and is used to define something (e.g. a variable, term, or object) in terms of a process (or set of validation tests) needed to determine its existence, duration, and quantity" [1] I thought this meant a procedure who's results satisfy a set of definition criteria. So if the operational definition is "does the decision making algorithm change stuff?" that's derivative, not circular. It might also be inadequate, but you didn't argue that. So we can either chose a set of selection criteria for the results of a procedure, or chose a procedure that satisfies the selection criteria, but if neither of those is good enough, how can we operationalize the definition of anything? [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operational_definition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operational_definition
- PeterWhittaker 11y ago
  I think the simplest way to put it is that a dictionary definition is heuristic while an operational definition is quantifiable. One reads a number of dictionary definitions, and possibly literary works, etc., until one "groks" what the term means. An operational definition usually (or should) include specific objective measurement criteria such that anyone can perform the measurement(s) and conclude whether or not the subject meets the terms of the definition. Unfortunately, the Duarte, et al, article to which this article was a response is not available ($45!) so I cannot tell whether it had operational definitions of diversity, liberalism, conservatism, etc. My guess is that surveys and self-reporting ("do you consider yourself liberal/conservative" or "to what extent do you share this liberal/conservative value", e.g.) were used to evaluate diversity in the field....