What is an example of a psychological construct?
These kinds of variables are called constructs (pronounced CON-structs) and include personality traits (e.g., extroversion), emotional states (e.g., fear), attitudes (e.g., toward taxes), and abilities (e.g., athleticism). Psychological constructs cannot be observed directly.
What is the difference between psychological characteristics and psychological construct?
Psychological construct simply refers to a general characteristic that cannot be observed directly. Psychological construct is a type of psychological measurement. Psychological measurements are numbers assigned to represent and define the characteristics of a person. It cannot be measured like a concrete characteristic, such as weight or height.
Why can’t we see psychological constructs directly?
Another reason psychological constructs cannot be observed directly is that they often involve internal processes. Fear, for example, involves the activation of certain central and peripheral nervous system structures, along with certain kinds of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors—none of which is necessarily obvious to an outside observer.
What is an operational definition of a psych construct?
An operational definition involves describing the measurement of a psych construct. Operational definitions are often used in research studies to describe and help understand how certain variables are being measured.
What are the 3 psychological constructs?
Psychological kinds Four common accounts have been put forward: psychological constructs are natural, social, practical, or complex kinds.
Which of the following is an example of a psychological construct quizlet?
Love, which can't be observed or measured directly, is an example of a psychological construct. Psychologists only focus on how people think and feel. A psychologist has to obtain a medical degree to diagnose and treat people with disorders.
What are psychological constructs?
A psychological construct is a label for a domain of behaviors. Behavioral sciences use constructs such as conscientiousness, intelligence, political power, self-esteem, and group culture.
What is a psychological construct quizlet?
Psychological construct. What a psychological construct? a concept used to talk about something we can't see, touch or directly measure.
What is psychology example?
Psychology is defined as the science that deals with emotional and mental processes. An example of psychology is the course of study that someone takes to become a therapist. Subtle tactical action or argument used to manipulate or influence another.
What are three psychological constructs quizlet?
Psychological constructs such as intelligence, self-esteem, and depression are variables that are not directly observable because they represent behavioural tendencies or complex patterns of behaviour and internal processes.
What are examples of constructs?
What are constructs?Types of constructsExamplesPeopleAge, gender, ethnicity, height, obesity, morbidity, energy, muscle soreness, fatigueOrganisationsFinancial performance, corporate social responsibility, firm survival, organisational culture, service quality, corporate governance, outsourcing, alliances3 more rows
Is depression a psychology construct?
The major psychological constructs that have been advanced to explain sex differences in pain are coping, catastrophizing, and affect (anxiety and depression).
Is stress a psychological construct?
It is now recognized that stress is a biopsychosocial construct, and cannot be defined purely in terms of physiological response. The physiological responses are only part of the profile that include changes at the affective, behavioral, and cognitive levels as well.
Why consciousness is often described as a psychological construct?
Psychological constructs are used to understand or explain things that we believe exist but cannot see, touch, or measure in any way. Consciousness is a psychological construct because it is believed to exist, but we are unable to physically measure it, so descriptions are 'constructed' to explain it.
Are psychological constructs easy to define and measure?
Psychological Constructs. Many variables studied by psychologists are straightforward and simple to measure. These include sex, age, height, weight, and birth order. You can often tell whether someone is male or female just by looking.
What is a construct quizlet?
Constructs. A broad idea or concept or topic (maybe a variable) that may or may. not be observable. The construct is the broad concept/topic under study. • Hypothetical attributes/traits/characteristics/mechanisms that help explain and predict behavior in a theory.
What is motivation in psychology?
Motivation is a psychological construct used to explain behaviors that are energized and directed toward a goal (Bindra, 1968). Hence, motivation guides us to carry out goal-directed behaviors for their complete satisfaction, and we expect effort-related rewards.
What is the G factor?
The general factor of intelligence, or g factor, is a psychometric construct that summarizes the correlations observed between an individual's scores on a wide range of cognitive abilities.
How do researchers determine the construct validity of a measure?
Researchers generally establish the construct validity of a measure by correlating it with a number of other measures and argu ing from the pattern of correlations that the measure is associated with these variables in theoretically predictable ways.
What is construct validity?
what is an example of construct validity? Construct validity refers to whether a scale or test measures the construct adequately. An example is a measurement of the human brain, such as intelligence, level of emotion, proficiency or ability. Construct validity is valuable in social sciences, where there is a lot of subjectivity to concepts.
What are constructs in psychology?
In psychology, a construct is a skill, attribute, or ability that is based on one or more established theories. Constructs exist in the human brain and are not directly observable. You also cannot directly observe fear or motivation.
What is construct in social science?
A construct in social science describes a theoretical idea, entity, or concept. In communication research there exist many hypothetical constructs, which largely rely on indirect measurements, due to the complex nature of the investigated phenomena.
What are some examples of constructs?
They can be abstract and do not necessarily need to be directly observable. Examples of constructs include intelligence or life satisfaction. Variables are created by developing the construct into a measurable form.
How Are Constructs Used in Psychology?
Constructs are used to help understand individuals. The type of measurement that is used will depend on the research conducted (Cabrera, 2012). For example, in clinical psychology, information gathered from self-reports may be more reliable than an interview as it provides insight into the individual’s perception of their self-esteem. This can then be used to help identify problems and areas that need improvement.
What Are Some Methods of Measurement in Psychology?
Some methods used to measure psychological constructs include assessment tools, rating scales, checklists, and interviews (Cabrera, 2012).
What is a Construct?
A construct is a hypothetical idea that needs to be measured to be validated scientifically.
What Are Terms Used in Psychological Constructs?
Affect is the emotional expression of a person, such as feeling happy or sad. It is often measured in psychology by using a self-report questionnaire such as on the PANAS (Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale), which are designed to measure two primary dimensions of affect: positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA). This scale is based on the idea that positive and negative affect are polar opposites. The PANAS was developed by Watson, Clark, and Tellegen (1988). Positive affect represents joy, delight, or excitement, while negative affect represents distress, tension, or anger. The PANAS contains ten items for each of the two scales. Each item is rated on a scale of 1 (very slightly or not) to 5 (extremely).
What is the Conceptual Definition of a Psychological Construct?
A construct reduces an entire collection of phenomena into a single term. These terms are defined by their relationships with other terms, thereby forming a network through which psychologists can study patterns of causality. By definition, constructs are theoretical and can never be directly measured.
What is an Operational Definition?
An operational definition involves describing the measurement of a psych construct. Operational definitions are often used in research studies to describe and help understand how certain variables are being measured. If there is a misunderstanding or problem with how a psych construct is operationalized, then this can lead to problems with the study’s design or interpretation of the data.
How Are Psychological Constructs Measured?
There are several ways in which psychologists measure psychological constructs. One of the methods is a self-report survey (Vernon & Piotrowski, 2001). Through this method, individuals are asked to describe their feelings or behaviors regarding a certain phenomenon. For example, a researcher might ask an individual, “How do you feel about your parent’s divorce when you were a child?” The person is supposed to rate their feelings on the Likert scale. Another method of measuring psychological constructs is behavioral observation (Elkington & Greenhalgh, 2010).
What Is Measurement?
Measurement is the assignment of scores to individuals so that the scores represent some characteristic of the individuals . This very general definition is consistent with the kinds of measurement that everyone is familiar with—for example, weighing oneself by stepping onto a bathroom scale, or checking the internal temperature of a roasting turkey by inserting a meat thermometer. It is also consistent with measurement throughout the sciences. In physics, for example, one might measure the potential energy of an object in Earth’s gravitational field by finding its mass and height (which of course requires measuring those variables) and then multiplying them together along with the gravitational acceleration of Earth (9.8 m/s 2 ). The result of this procedure is a score that represents the object’s potential energy.
Why can't we observe psychological constructs?
Psychological constructs cannot be observed directly. One reason is that they often represent tendencies to think, feel, or act in certain ways. For example, to say that a particular college student is highly extroverted (see Note 5.6 “The Big Five”) does not necessarily mean that she is behaving in an extroverted way right now. In fact, she might be sitting quietly by herself, reading a book. Instead, it means that she has a general tendency to behave in extroverted ways (talking, laughing, etc.) across a variety of situations. Another reason psychological constructs cannot be observed directly is that they often involve internal processes. Fear, for example, involves the activation of certain central and peripheral nervous system structures, along with certain kinds of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors—none of which is necessarily obvious to an outside observer. Notice also that neither extroversion nor fear “reduces to” any particular thought, feeling, act, or physiological structure or process. Instead, each is a kind of summary of a complex set of behaviors and internal processes.
Why do researchers not look up constructs in the dictionary?
One reason is that many scientific constructs do not have counterparts in everyday language (e.g., working memory capacity). More important, researchers are in the business of developing definitions that are more detailed and precise—and that more accurately describe the way the world is—than the informal definitions in the dictionary. As we will see, they do this by proposing conceptual definitions, testing them empirically, and revising them as necessary. Sometimes they throw them out altogether. This is why the research literature often includes different conceptual definitions of the same construct. In some cases, an older conceptual definition has been replaced by a newer one that works better. In others, researchers are still in the process of deciding which of various conceptual definitions is the best.
Why is the research literature often different conceptual definitions of the same construct?
In some cases, an older conceptual definition has been replaced by a newer one that works better. In others, researchers are still in the process of deciding which of various conceptual definitions is the best.
Why are psychological constructs not directly observable?
Psychological constructs such as intelligence, self-esteem, and depression are variables that are not directly observable because they represent behavioral tendencies or complex patterns of behavior and internal processes. An important goal of scientific research is to conceptually define psychological constructs in ways that accurately describe them.
What are physiological measures?
Finally, physiological measures are those that involve recording any of a wide variety of physiological processes, including heart rate and blood pressure, galvanic skin response, hormone levels, and electrical activity and blood flow in the brain. Figure 5.2.
Why are Stevens' levels of measurement important?
Stevens’s levels of measurement are important for at least two reasons. First, they emphasize the generality of the concept of measurement.
What does "specifies" mean in a construct?
Specifies what a construct means in a theoretical sense-specifies aspects of a construct.
What is Ch 3?
Ch 3: The Ethical Treatment of Research Participants 21 Terms
What do researchers do when they apply treatments to people?
Researchers apply treatments to people and then observe to effect of the treatment
How do we measure intelligence?
We measure intelligence by an IQ test
Why are moderators necessary?
C. Moderators are necessary for external validity to be established.
What is the meaning of "B" in the association?
B. Direction of the association and strength of the association
Which variable must be related to both of the measured variables in the original association?
A. The third variable must be related to both of the measured variables in the original association.
Which variable only occurs in the control group?
A. Control variables only occur in the control group.
What is correlational research?
a. Correlational research looks at natural associations
What is a fact?
a. Facts are ideas that summarize information
Which behavior is shaped by biology?
a. Social behavior is shaped by biology
