What am I measuring here? In conversation with Kathleen Slaney about construct validity

Speaker(s):

Jan R. Boehnke, University of Dundee

Abstract:

Quantitative social science research often relies on asking people questions about characteristics that cannot be directly observed: e.g., attitudes, knowledge, or health perceptions. These characteristics are broader than the concrete questions themselves, often called 'concepts' or 'constructs'. But what does it mean to measure subjectively defined concepts? What does it mean to quantify 'achievement' or 'health-related quality of life'? In her 2017 book "Validating Psychological Constructs" (Palgrave Macmillan), Dr Slaney provided a commensurate view of the historical, philosophical, and practical dimensions of these questions. We will follow up on Dr Slaney's hope that her book contributes to a growing body of work aiming to better understand the assumptions underlying quantitative psychological research. We will place this discussion in her recent work on topics such as objectivity, problematic research and reporting practices, as well as questions about the importance of interdisciplinary perspectives in this discourse.