A theory of formal conceptual definitions: developing theory-building measurement instruments
A theory of formal conceptual definitions: developing theory-building measurement instruments
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形式概念定义理论：开发理论构建测量工具
DOI：
10.1016/j.jom.2004.08.002
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发表时间：
2004
影响因子：
7.8
通讯作者：
J. Wacker
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
J. Wacker
本研究发展了对正式概念定义（有时称为名义定义）的需求，以及如何为理论建设开发更好的测量工具。通过对术语的定义，发展了"好的"形式概念定义的基础理论，论证了所有建立理论的实证研究都需要形式概念定义，解释了"好的"形式概念定义如何以及为什么被用来发展性质及其度量，最后，从逻辑上解释了好的形式概念定义是建构效度的必要条件（内容有效性、准则有效性、收敛有效性和区分有效性），而统计检验是有效性的充分条件。这一理论的发展解释了为什么在进行任何传统的统计经验有效性测试之前，需要正式的概念定义。这项研究表明，任何统计有效性测试是没有意义的，如果没有正式定义的概念。简而言之，形式概念定义的理论提供了一个结构，以发展导致“好”的经验理论建设的形式理论的“好”的措施。
This study develops the need for formal conceptual definitions (sometimes called nominal definitions) and how to develop better measurement instruments for theory-building. It develops the underlying theory for ‘good’ formal conceptual definitions by defining terms, demonstrating that formal conceptual definitions are needed for all theory-building empirical research, explains how and why ‘good’ formal conceptual definitions are used to develop properties and their measures, and last, it logically explains that good formal conceptual definitions are necessary conditions for construct validity (content validity, criterion validity, convergent validity, and discriminant validity) while statistical tests are sufficient conditions for validity. This theory development explains why formal conceptual definitions are necessary before any traditional statistical empirical validity tests are performed. This study suggests that any statistical validity tests are not meaningful if the concept is not formally defined. In short, the theory of formal conceptual definitions provides a structure to develop ‘good’ measures of the formal theory that leads to ‘good’ empirical theory-building.