ABSTRACT: To remove ambiguity in written work and research, all relevant variables must be defined. This is known as operationalizing variables. To operationalize a variable or concept means to define it so that it can be measured and/or expressed quantitatively or qualitatively. Operationalize your variables!…
ABSTRACT The reactive effect refers to the effect that a researcher or assessor has on that which he or she is trying to study: subjects behave less naturally due to the fact that they are being studied. Reactivity People’s knowledge of the fact that they are…
ABSTRACT The cycle of enquiry is a method of moving away from common-sense reactions and towards an examination of appropriate evidence. An evidence-based discipline? What do we mean when we say that Speech-language pathology (speech therapy) is an evidence-based discipline? The basic principle is that…
ABSTRACT: What distinguishes social scientific research from common sense is that social scientists approach information and knowledge in a systematic and consciously articulated way. They use rules and procedures about how to build and apply theories, how to design studies to test hypotheses, how to collect data…
What is ‘normal’? What do we mean when we say something is ‘normal’? Reflect on what you think is ‘normal’ for each of the following: women’s height eyesight behavior when waiting for a bus consumption of alcohol Each of your answers to the above will likely…
ABSTRACT Statistical approaches to ‘normality’ define it in terms of a normal distribution curve, with the so called ‘normal zone’ accounting for 68 percent of all the data. Statistical frequency What did you base your idea of ‘normal’ height on? (see Definitions of Normality). It might…
ABSTRACT Medical approaches to normality stress the idea of uniformity of physical and psychological functioning across individuals. Limitations and disability How did you define ‘normal’ eyesight? (see Definitions of Normality) The ability to see clearly without eye glasses? It is unlikely that you wrote down short-…
ABSTRACT Cultural approaches to normality mean that what is defined as ‘abnormal’ depends on expectations and standards of society, and thus on political, economic and social factors. Expectations and standards What is normal in terms of the simple act of waiting for a bus? In the…
