what is operational definition psychology

Operational definition in psychology refers to the statement of procedures that a researcher is going to use to measure a specific variable. It is a description of something in terms of the operations, procedures, actions, or processes by which it could be observed and measured. Operational definitions are concrete and measurable, allowing researchers to describe in a specific way what they mean when they use a certain term. They became important in psychology when psychologists wanted to establish that psychological experimentation is truly scientific in nature. An operational definition allows researchers to define a variable as it exists in the present study, stating clearly and specifically how they are manipulating their independent variable and how they are measuring their dependent variable. Operational definitions are used to define behavior so that it is observable and measurable, and they are a key component in writing a behavior intervention plan or when collecting data about specific behaviors.