Research Design in Psychology Essay

Total Length: 600 words ( 2 double-spaced pages)

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1. An operational definition helps the researcher maintain both internal and external validity. The researcher clearly defines terms, and shows how each variable is measured. In this way, concepts that are otherwise abstract like intelligence can be operationalized.



Intelligence needs to be operationalized because the researcher needs to show what specific type of intelligence is being measured, and how. An operational definition is “the particular method that we use to measure a variable of interest,” beyond the theoretical definitions that can be applied later (“Conducting Research in Social Psychology,” n.d., p. 1). Whereas the theoretical definitions of intelligence can be broad, like “the capacity to acquire and apply knowledge,” operational definitions are narrower in scope because they need to be easily measured (Legg & Hutter, 2006, p. 2).



For example, if mathematical intelligence is being measured, then an established mathematical skills test needs to be administered to research participants.
Social skills intelligence needs to be measured using an established self-report survey or observational parameter. One of the most common operational definitions of intelligence has been performance on an Intelligence Quotient (IQ) test. The upside of operational definitions is that they are specific. Operational definitions are also standardized and can be used by more than one researcher, enhancing the external validity of intelligence research. The downside to operational definitions is that they are limited; they are necessarily generalizable to theory. For instance, performance on an IQ test cannot be used to predict global intelligence, social skills, or reading intelligence.


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References

Ferguson, L. (2004). External validity, generalizability, and knowledge utilization. Journal of Nursing Scholarship 36(1): 16-22.

Steckler, A. & McLeroy, K.R. (2008). The importance of external validity. American Journal of Public Health 98(1): 9-10.
 

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