Defining Operationally
An operational definition of a variable describes:
These definitions are written quantitatively using:
To gain a better understanding of what an operational definition is, consider the following example:
Researchers in sports medicine and exercise physiology study the effects of various variables on a person's endurance. Each researcher might decide on a different way of measuring this variable. For example, if an experiment was conducted to test the effects of Vitamin E on endurance, the dependent variable being the person's endurance, might be operationally defined in ways such as:
- What is observed.
- What is measured.
These definitions are written quantitatively using:
- length, width, height, etc.
- time
- distance
- temperature
- numerical value of something
To gain a better understanding of what an operational definition is, consider the following example:
Researchers in sports medicine and exercise physiology study the effects of various variables on a person's endurance. Each researcher might decide on a different way of measuring this variable. For example, if an experiment was conducted to test the effects of Vitamin E on endurance, the dependent variable being the person's endurance, might be operationally defined in ways such as:
- The distance a person could run without stopping.
- The number of hours a person could stay awake.
- The number of jumping jacks a person could do before getting tired.