Editing Operationalization (section)

==Theory==
{{See also|Operational definition| Theoretical definition}}

===History===
Operationalization is the scientific practice of ''[[operational definition]]'', where even the most basic [[concept]]s are defined through the operations by which we measure them. The practice originated in the field of physics with the [[philosophy of science]] book ''[[The Logic of Modern Physics]]'' (1927), by [[Percy Williams Bridgman]], whose methodological position is called "operationalism".<ref name="Moscati2018p140">Moscati, I (2018) ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=dflyDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA140 Measuring Utility: From the Marginal Revolution to Behavioral Economics]'', pp.140-141</ref><ref>The operationalist thesis—which can be considered a variation on the [[Positivism|positivist]] theme—was that all theoretical terms must be defined via the operations by which one measured them; see Crowther-Heyck, Hunter (2005), ''Herbert A. Simon: The Bounds of Reason in Modern America'', JHU Press, [https://books.google.com/books?id=LV1rnS9NBjkC&pg=PA65 p. 65].</ref>

Bridgman wrote that in the [[theory of relativity]] a concept like "duration" can split into multiple different concepts. In refining a physical theory, it may be discovered that what was thought to be one concept is actually two or more distinct concepts. Bridgman proposed that if only operationally defined concepts are used, this will never happen.

Bridgman's theory was criticized because "length" is measured in various ways (e.g. it is impossible to use a [[measuring rod]] to measure the distance to the Moon), so "length" logically is not ''one'' concept but ''many'', with some concepts requiring knowledge of [[geometry]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2021|reason=This seems to be a criticism based on missing the point, but maybe there is a reliable source that lists this as a valid criticism}} Each concept is to be ''defined by'' the measuring operation used. So the criticism is that there are potentially infinite concepts, each defined by the methods that measured it, such as angle of sighting, day of the solar year, angular subtense of the moon, etc. which were gathered together, some astronomical observations taken over a period of thousands of years.

In the 1930s, Harvard experimental psychologist [[Edwin Boring]] and students [[Stanley Smith Stevens]] and [[Douglas McGregor]], struggling with the methodological and epistemological problems of defining measurement of psychological phenomena, found a solution in reformulating psychological concepts operationally, as it had been proposed in the field of physics by Bridgman, their Harvard colleague. This resulted in a series of articles that were published by Stevens and McGregor from 1935, that were widely discussed in the field of psychology and led to the ''Symposium on operationism'' in 1945, to which  Bridgman also contributed.<ref name="Moscati2018p140"/>

===Operationalization===
The practical 'operational definition' is generally understood as relating to the [[theoretical definition]]s that describe reality through the use of [[theory]].

The importance of careful operationalization can perhaps be more clearly seen in the development of [[Introduction to general relativity|general relativity]]. Einstein discovered that there were two operational definitions of "[[mass]]" being used by scientists: ''inertial'', defined by applying a force and observing the acceleration, from [[Newton's second law of motion]]; and ''gravitational'', defined by putting the object on a scale or balance. Previously, no one had paid any attention to the different operations used because they always produced the same results,<ref name=TwoNewSciences>[[Galileo]] (1638) ''[[Two New Sciences]]'', particularly the [[Law of falling bodies]]</ref> but the key insight of Einstein was to posit the [[Equivalence principle|principle of equivalence]] that the two operations would always produce the same result because they were equivalent at a deep level, and work out the implications of that assumption, which is the general theory of relativity. Thus, a breakthrough in science was achieved by disregarding different operational definitions of scientific measurements and realizing that they both described a single theoretical concept. Einstein's disagreement with the operationalist approach was criticized by Bridgman<ref>P.W. Bridgman, ''Einstein's Theories and the Operational Point of View'', in: P.A. Schilpp, ed., ''Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist'', Open Court, La Salle, Ill., Cambridge University Press, 1982, Vol. 2, p. 335–354.</ref> as follows: "Einstein did not carry over into his general relativity theory the lessons and insights he himself has taught us in his special theory." (p.&nbsp;335).