TY - JOUR
T1 - Some Behaviorial Science Measurement Concerns and Proposals
AU - Nesselroade, John R.
AU - Molenaar, Peter C.M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Copyright:
Copyright 2016 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2016/5/3
Y1 - 2016/5/3
N2 - Primarily from a measurement standpoint, we question some basic beliefs and procedures characterizing the scientific study of human behavior. The relations between observed and unobserved variables are key to an empirical approach to building explanatory theories and we are especially concerned about how the former are used as proxies for the latter. We believe that behavioral science can profitably reconsider the prevailing version of this arrangement because of its vulnerability to limiting idiosyncratic aspects of observed/unobserved variable relations. We describe a general measurement approach that takes into account idiosyncrasies that should be irrelevant to the measurement process but can intrude and may invalidate it in ways that distort and weaken relations among theoretically important variables. To clarify further our major concerns, we briefly describe one version of the measurement approach that fundamentally supports the individual as the primary unit of analysis orientation that we believe should be preeminent in the scientific study of human behavior.
AB - Primarily from a measurement standpoint, we question some basic beliefs and procedures characterizing the scientific study of human behavior. The relations between observed and unobserved variables are key to an empirical approach to building explanatory theories and we are especially concerned about how the former are used as proxies for the latter. We believe that behavioral science can profitably reconsider the prevailing version of this arrangement because of its vulnerability to limiting idiosyncratic aspects of observed/unobserved variable relations. We describe a general measurement approach that takes into account idiosyncrasies that should be irrelevant to the measurement process but can intrude and may invalidate it in ways that distort and weaken relations among theoretically important variables. To clarify further our major concerns, we briefly describe one version of the measurement approach that fundamentally supports the individual as the primary unit of analysis orientation that we believe should be preeminent in the scientific study of human behavior.
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U2 - 10.1080/00273171.2015.1050481
DO - 10.1080/00273171.2015.1050481
M3 - Article
C2 - 27248831
AN - SCOPUS:84973122116
VL - 51
SP - 396
EP - 412
JO - Multivariate Behavioral Research
JF - Multivariate Behavioral Research
SN - 0027-3171
IS - 2-3
ER -