Definitions | Concepts have progressive levels of abstraction — that is, the degree to which the concept does or does not have something objective to refer to. Table is an objective concept. We can point to a table, and we have images of the characteristics of all tables in our mind. An abstraction like personality is much more difficult to visualize. Such abstract concepts are often called constructs. A construct is an image or abstract idea specifically invented for a given research and/or theory-building purpose. We build constructs by combining the simpler, more concrete concepts, especially when the idea or image we intend to convey is not subject to direct observation.
(Cooper and Schindler, 2014, p. 52) |
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