Quiz Question

Abraham Kaplan (as noted in Babbie, Chapter 5, distinguishes three classes of phenomena that scientists measure.

Which of these is NOT included amongst his list?

a) direct observables

b) constructs

c) concepts

d) indirect observables

ANSWER: Scientists observe direct and indirect observables, which include those able to be observed "simply and directly" as well as those more "subtle, complex, or indirect," respectively. A direct observable would include a chess game, whereas an indirect observable would include an account of who played and won that game. Scientists also test constructs, which are theoretical creations based on observation that do not fall into the categories of direct or indirect. A test of one's general intelligence or competence based their mastery of chess is an example of a construct. Kaplan does not include concepts in his classes of scientific measurement.