A researcher uses the following hypothesis in a study: "Excessive listening to alternative music will lead to increased depression in young teenagers." Which of the following statements is an acceptable operational definition of "excessive listening"? Excessive listening is defined as:
A) listening to alternative music more than the average number of hours young teenagers listen to that type of music.
B) that number of hours over which parents begin to place limitations on listening time.
C) the number of hours a subject spends listening to alternative music.
D) the number of hours the subjects listen to alternative music. A mean of these hours will be calculated, and "excessive" will be anything over the mean.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

An operational definition is derived from a set of procedures or progressive acts that a researcher performs to measure a variable. Although the hypothesis predicts that excessive listeners will have more likelihood of depression, the variable itself is how many hours of time are spent listening to the music. The subjects who listen to the highest number of hours are the ones most likely to exhibit depression. An operational definition is developed so that a variable can be measured or manipulated in a concrete situation.
This definition does not tell the reader where the information needed to use it came from. An operational definition is derived from a set of procedures or progressive acts that a researcher performs to measure a variable. Although the hypothesis predicts that excessive listeners will have more likelihood of depression, the variable itself is how many hours of time are spent listening to the music. The subjects who listen to the highest number of hours are the ones most likely to exhibit depression. An operational definition is developed so that a variable can be measured or manipulated in a concrete situation.
There is no mention of parental opinion in the hypothesis. This definition introduces an additional variable, so it is not correct. An operational definition is derived from a set of procedures or progressive acts that a researcher performs to measure a variable. Although the hypothesis predicts that excessive listeners will have more likelihood of depression, the variable itself is how many hours of time are spent listening to the music. The subjects who listen to the highest number of hours are the ones most likely to exhibit depression. An operational definition is developed so that a variable can be measured or manipulated in a concrete situation.
The definition needs to be established before the study begins. Having the subjects within the study define the variables of the study is not useful. An operational definition is derived from a set of procedures or progressive acts that a researcher performs to measure a variable. Although the hypothesis predicts that excessive listeners will have more likelihood of depression, the variable itself is how many hours of time are spent listening to the music. The subjects who listen to the highest number of hours are the ones most likely to exhibit depression. An operational definition is developed so that a variable can be measured or manipulated in a concrete situation.

A Researcher Uses the Following Hypothesis in a Study: "Excessive