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Operational Definitions

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Identify the operational definitions in the following statements and discuss what, if anything, may be wrong with them: (1) smoking is bad for people's health, (2) poverty causes crime, (3) children who watch more than three hours of television a day tend to be more hyperactive than other children, and (4) alcohol consumption is related to spousal abuse. Then try to transform one of the statements into a testable hypothesis with precise operational definitions.

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Solution Summary

The expert identifies the operational definitions of statements.

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You have given me four different statements, and I will provide you with some comments on each. Then, I will demonstrate how to take one of those statements and transform it into a statement that has a precise operational definition, resulting in the ability to formulate a testable hypothesis.

First, be remind that an operational definition is a variable that is clearly defined and describes exactly what you will be measuring in your study. It cannot be a generalization, as these statements are. Let me give you some notes about each:

Statement 1: Smoking is bad for people's health. - This statement gives no specific. Is the variable people who actually smoke, or people who are affected by second hand smoke. ...

Solution provided by:
Jason Blair, MA, PhD (IP)
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  • BA, Arizona State University
  • MA, University of Phoenix
  • PhD (IP), North Central University
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