Operational Definition

Operational definition is the definition of variables in a psychological study using specific activities or detailed operational procedures. In the psychological experiment, the operational definition of variables makes the research less metaphysical and more concrete, so the final conclusions are verifiable. Motivation, for example, is defined in general psychology as a psychological tendency or internal urge to actuate and sustain an individual’s actions toward a certain goal, but in specific experiments that study how gorillas solve problems, the operational definition of motivation is how long gorillas starve – the longer they starve, the stronger their motivation to eat. Operational definition does not describe the characteristics and properties of the defined variables; it is to make them observable and measurable. For example, academic achievement is a student’s test scores in various different subjects; cognitive style is distinguished according to the subjects’ score in...