The statement below is an example of which of the following? "In this study, pain is reflected as a score between 0 and 10 on the postoperative pain rating scale."
a. Associative hypothesis
b. Conceptual definition
c. Operational definition
d. Problem statement
ANS: C
An operational definition is derived from a set of procedures or progressive acts that a researcher performs to receive sensory impressions that indicate the existence or degree of existence of a variable. An operational definition is developed so that a variable can be measured or manipulated in a concrete situation. In this example, pain is the sensory impression being measured on a numerical scale.
A hypothesis indicates the researcher's educated guess at what the outcome of the research will be. An associative hypothesis describes a predicted relationship that the researcher develops between the established variables being studied. This statement is an operational definition, not a hypothesis.
A conceptual definition is the theoretical meaning of a variable.
The problem statement indicates the gap in knowledge needed for practice and provides a basis for the study.
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