What specific thing would I count or observe if I wanted to measure this concept in this unit of analysis, and why?

Intructions:
For each of three different units of analysis, describe how you would (hypothetically) operationalize and measure that concept. The units of analysis for which you will develop measures are (1) individuals, (2) country-years, and (3) one of your choice (families, ZIP codes, US states, geographic regions, marriages, households…whatever).
First, for the concept as a whole, supply a working definition of the concept. A definition can be abstract, but should flow from your sense of what is important about it, and it should match up with various forms or categories of the concept. It shouldn’t include things that clearly don’t fit. Here’s a working definition for love that I just made up: Love means feeling and behaving in ways that promote long-term joy and wellbeing in the object of love. When two people are “in love,” they promote each other’s long-term joy and wellbeing, even if short-term differences arise. When someone experiences unrequited love, there may not be room for their own joy or wellbeing, but they can promote the other’s joy and wellbeing by respecting their boundaries.

Second, for each of the three units of analysis, provide:
— A quantitative operationalization of the concept that would allow you to observe the concept, as you have defined it, in this unit of analysis. The question to ask yourself is: What specific thing would I count or observe if I wanted to measure this concept in this unit of analysis, and why?
For example: love in families. According to my definition, we need a measure that (a) operates over the long term; (b) encompasses both feelings and behaviors; (c) is applicable to many different kinds and sizes of family; (c) captures the sub-concepts “joy” and “wellbeing.” I’ll observe each family on one random day per 3-month for at least 2 years. On each randomly selected day, I’ll count how many times family members express love (1) verbally and (2) physically (e.g., hugs, kisses, snuggling, sex), and I’ll ask each family member to rate (3) their family’s impact on their stress level and (4) their current overall happiness. This will give me four measures over time, which can be combined (e.g. via weighted averages) or analyzed individually.
— An assessment of the definition and operationalization. Even the best, most well thought out measures have drawbacks. Some definitions don’t capture important parts of a concept. Some operationalizations would not be feasible to collect in real life. Some are relatively simple to measure, but may not come very close to the concept in question. Some might be unethical to collect. And so on. Provide a clear enumeration of where your proposed measure succeeds and falls short. For example, my measure of “love” is geared toward families that frequently express love verbally or physically, meaning that it may not be applicable across cultures.
In all, your assignment should be about 500-800 words long. Spend time crafting a detailed operationalization, particularly if your concept has multiple sub-concepts.

I have attached lecture slides that might help as well as a textbook that discusses the type of variable and level of measurement in more detail. The concept can be of your choice for example, grief as well as the third unit of analysis.

Last Completed Projects