OTHER ELEMENTS IN THE

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

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CONCEPT vs. CONSTRUCT vs. VARIABLES

‡ A concept expresses an abstraction formed by generalization from

particulars which could be either:
-Abstract (e.g. social equity, rural poverty, etc.)
-Concrete (e.g. chair, table, wall clock, etc.)

‡ Most of the concepts in the social science are abstract resulting to

validity questions in research findings.
Example: How do you really measure rural poverty, from whose
perspective, and what measuring instrument to use?

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CONCEPT vs. CONSTRUCT vs. VARIABLES

‡ A construct is a concept that is deliberately and consciously invented

or adopted for a special scientific purpose.

‡ It enters into the theoretical scheme and is related in various ways to

other constructs. It is so defined and specified that it can be
observed and measured.

‡ A variable is a symbol to which numerals or values are assigned. It

is a set of classifications into which empirical experiences or
observations may be placed.

‡ For an investigator to be able to measure and/or observe a particular

concept, he has to reduce it first to the level of a variable.
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 AN ILLUSTRATION:

Level Independent Intervening Dependent

Theoretical : REINFORCEMENT LEARNING

Conceptual : Mass Media Exposure Political Knowledge

Age
Sex
Education
Religion
Etc.

Operational : No. of hours spent listening Score in a test on

to political radio programs political knowledge

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TYPES OF DEFINITIONS

‡ A constitutive definition defines a construct with other constructs. All

constructs, in order to be scientifically useful, must possess
constitutive meaning. This means that they must be capable of being
used in theories.

‡ An operational definition assigns meaning to a construct or variable

by specifying the activities or “operations necessary to measure it.
Alternatively, an operational definition is a specification of the
activities of the researcher in measuring or manipulating it.

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TYPES OF OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS
‡ Measured Operational Definition
-It describes how a variable will be measured like the use of test
scores in a Likert scale.
Example: Perception about GMA Administration- This will be
measured thru a 10-item perception test using a 5-point scale of
“Very Favorable”, “Favorable”, “Undecided”, “Unfavorable”, and “Very
Unfavorable” with point values of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively.
Respondents will be categorized as having favorable or unfavorable
perception based on their scores
‡ Experimental Operational Definition
-It spells out the details (operations) of the investigator’s manipulation
of a variable.
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WHY ARE OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS
IMPORTANT?
‡ They enable researchers to measure variables.
‡ They are the bridges between the theory-hypothesis-construct level
and the level of observation.
‡ A researcher shuttles back and forth between the level of theory-
construct and the level of operation. He does this by operationally
defining the variables of his theory that are amenable to such
definition and then by estimating the relations between the
operationally defined and measured variables.
‡ There can be no scientific research without observations and
observations are impossible without clear and specific instructions on
what and how to observe.

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TYPES OF VARIABLES
‡ Independent vs. Dependent Variables

‡ Active vs. Attribute Variables

‡ Continuous vs. Categorical Variables

‡ Intervening Variables

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Independent vs. Dependent Variables
‡ An independent variable, X, is the presumed cause of the dependent
variable, Y, the presumed effect.
‡ In experiments, the independent variable is the variable manipulated
by the experimenter.
‡ The dependent variable is the presumed effect, which varies
concomitantly with changes or variation in the independent variable.
It is the variable that is not manipulated. Rather, it is observed for
variation as a presumed result of variation in the independent
variable. It is the condition or phenomenon we are trying to explain.
‡ The dependent and independent variable classification is a
classification of uses of variables than distinction between different
kinds of variables.
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Active vs. Attribute Variables
‡ Active variables are manipulated variables. Any variable that is
manipulated is an active variable. They are also independent
variables but you do something to produce them.

‡ Attribute variables are measured variables. Any variable that cannot

be manipulated is an attribute variable.

‡ The active-attribute distinction is general, flexible, and useful. Some

variables are, by their very nature , always attributes, but other
variables that are attributes can also be active.

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Continuous vs. Categorical Variables
‡ A continuous variable is capable of taking on an ordered set of
values within a certain range.
This definition means that the values of a continuous variable reflect
at least a rank order, a larger value of the variable meaning more of
the property in question than a smaller value.

‡ Categorical variables belong to the kind of measurement called

nominal.

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TYPES OF RELATIONSHIPS
‡ Reversible (If X, then Y; If Y, then X)
Example: The greater the interaction between people, the greater the
liking; the greater the liking, the greater the interaction.
Irreversible (If X, then Y; If Y, then no conclusion about X)
Example: Smoking causes cancer (But cancer does not cause
smoking).
‡ Deterministic (If X, then always Y)
Example: Forest denudation causes flooding in low lying areas.
Stochastic (If X, then probably Y)
Example: Add probably to the above statement to make it stochastic.

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TYPES OF RELATIONSHIPS
‡ Sequential (If X, then later Y)
Example: Extensive cutting of trees results to forest denudation.

Coextensive (If X, then also Y)

Example: Group learning takes place with social interaction.

‡ Sufficient (If X, then Y regardless of anything else)

Example: Population explosion leads to land scarcity.

Contingent (If X, then Y but only if Z)

Example: Heavy rainfall results to street flooding (with poor drainage
system).

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TYPES OF RELATIONSHIPS
‡ Necessary (If X, and only X, then Y)
Example: Similar to sufficient relationship but X is the only
independent variable for a particular Y.

Substitute (If X, then Y; but if Z, then also Y)

Example: If you smoke, you die; If you don’t smoke, you die also.

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