1. Explication and interpretation
The essence of empiricism

2. Explication
Explication is a deductive process where you take a general concept, refine it, determine how to test for it and then carry out the test
Interpretation reverses the process
Your handout is an idealized model of explication and interpretation
Construct
Measure
Data
Concept

3. Your literature review guides your explication
It helps assure that you include all of the major relevant theories and constructs in your study.
It provides examples of methods, measurement instruments and their use.
Prior studies should include their own explication of important concepts.
Were they successfully applied in earlier studies?
It helps you to anticipate common problems researchers studying your topic have faced
What traps did researchers fall into in the past?

4. Conceptualization
The process of defining concepts concretely and narrowly enough to develop valid measures
Developing constructs to use in research
Concept
Construct

5. Operationalization
You must come up with ways to measure your concepts and/or test your theories in the physical world
Choose a research method
Develop measures of your concepts
Includes defining the theoretical relationship in measurement terms
Construct
Measure

6. Data collection
Once you have designed your study you must carry out the research in the physical world
Things never go exactly as planned, so you have to make choices
You must try to limit/eliminate real-world ‘noise’
Chosen research methods,
including measures
Real-world data collection

7. Data/actual presentation
Concept
Conceptualization
Construct
(Variable)
Expl
icat
ion
Operationalization
Measure/
manipulation
Data collection
Data/actual presentation
of materials to groups

8. A medieval example of explication

9. Concept
Reconceptualization
Interpretat
ion
Construct
(Variable)
Evaluation
Results
Analysis
Raw data

10. Multiple concepts in a given study
Up to now, we have only looked at a single concept, construct, method, data relationship
To test a theory, you have to explicate at least two concepts and the relationship between them
As you saw with regard to the models shown in class, there are often quite a large number of concepts explicated in a given study
To be practical, they all will most likely need to be measured in similar ways
Using different methods for different concepts leads to great difficulties and expanded costs, etc.

11. Theoretical hypothesis
Theory
Theoretical
relationship
Concept 1
(cause)
Concept 2
(effect)
Proposition
Theoretical hypothesis
Construct 2
(dependent variable)
Construct 1
(independent variable)
Research
Hypothesis
Empirical
hypothesis
Measure 1
(manipulation)
Measure 2
Data collection
and analysis
Obtained data
relationship
Data 1
(Actual presentation of
materials to groups)
Data 2

12. Exposure to chick flicks Empathy Leads to
Ability to understand
your partner’s feelings
Attending movies targeted
to adolescent females
Increases
Empathy scale
Laboratory exposure to
A Walk to Remember
Higher mean score
Obtained G1 mean v.
Obtained G2 mean
Group 1 exposed
Group 2 not exposed
Obtained scores on
Empathy scale

13. Interpretation Interpretation reverses the process
Evaluate the findings
Revisit decisions made in explication with the benefit of hindsight