Measurement in the social sciences

Fülszöveg

For the most part, statisticians and social science theorists have pursued their work in isolation from one another. This has left a gap for students of social science, who are dependent on the coordination of their efforts. This textbook is designed to bridge this gap between the theorist and the methodologist by presenting an integrated approach to measurement. By differentiating between random and systematic error, it conveys both statistical techniques and their theoretical underpinnings essential to students of sociology and political science. Rather than developing new technical methods or new theoretical structures, Professors Zeller and Carmines provide thorough explanations of the assumptions, limitations, and interpretations of previously established techniques and theories. They begin by presenting the statistical tools of measurement, focusing on factor analysis. Using well-defined theories of minimum complexity, they then develop a strategy of measurement, applying... Tovább

Fülszöveg

For the most part, statisticians and social science theorists have pursued their work in isolation from one another. This has left a gap for students of social science, who are dependent on the coordination of their efforts. This textbook is designed to bridge this gap between the theorist and the methodologist by presenting an integrated approach to measurement. By differentiating between random and systematic error, it conveys both statistical techniques and their theoretical underpinnings essential to students of sociology and political science. Rather than developing new technical methods or new theoretical structures, Professors Zeller and Carmines provide thorough explanations of the assumptions, limitations, and interpretations of previously established techniques and theories. They begin by presenting the statistical tools of measurement, focusing on factor analysis. Using well-defined theories of minimum complexity, they then develop a strategy of measurement, applying their reformulation of classical test theory to questions of validity and reliability. The authors integrate theoretical with methodological-statistical concerns through the use of hypothetical and substantive research situations. Written at a level accessible to students of social science with somé statistical training, the book does not presume a sophisticated mathematical background. By concentrating on synthesizing the methodological and theoretical realms, Zeller and Carmines demonstrate why measurement considerations ai\e important to research and how measurement principles can be most effectively applied. Vissza