Nesselroade John R, Molenaar Peter C M
a The University of Virginia.
b The Pennsylvania State University.
Multivariate Behav Res. 2016 Mar-Jun;51(2-3):396-412. doi: 10.1080/00273171.2015.1050481. Epub 2016 Jun 1.
Primarily from a measurement standpoint, we question some basic beliefs and procedures characterizing the scientific study of human behavior. The relations between observed and unobserved variables are key to an empirical approach to building explanatory theories and we are especially concerned about how the former are used as proxies for the latter. We believe that behavioral science can profitably reconsider the prevailing version of this arrangement because of its vulnerability to limiting idiosyncratic aspects of observed/unobserved variable relations. We describe a general measurement approach that takes into account idiosyncrasies that should be irrelevant to the measurement process but can intrude and may invalidate it in ways that distort and weaken relations among theoretically important variables. To clarify further our major concerns, we briefly describe one version of the measurement approach that fundamentally supports the individual as the primary unit of analysis orientation that we believe should be preeminent in the scientific study of human behavior.
主要从测量的角度来看,我们对一些刻画人类行为科学研究的基本信念和程序提出质疑。观察到的变量与未观察到的变量之间的关系是构建解释性理论的实证方法的关键,我们尤其关注前者如何被用作后者的代理变量。我们认为,行为科学可以有益地重新审视这种安排的主流版本,因为它容易受到观察到的/未观察到的变量关系中局限性特质的影响。我们描述了一种通用的测量方法,该方法考虑到了一些特质,这些特质本应与测量过程无关,但可能会干扰测量过程,并可能以扭曲和削弱理论上重要变量之间关系的方式使测量过程无效。为了进一步阐明我们的主要关注点,我们简要描述了一种测量方法的版本,该版本从根本上支持将个体作为主要分析单位的取向,我们认为这在人类行为的科学研究中应该是首要的。