Scribd
Upload
48 views

Example: Action Throughout Our Lives. As Children, Empiricists Say, We Learn by Observing Adults, and

This document discusses several key concepts: 1. A construct is a variable that does not physically exist but rather represents a concept, such as personality or job satisfaction. 2. Constructs in organizational behavior research cannot be directly measured and must be transformed, such as through survey responses or experimental behaviors, to approximate them. 3. A theory is generally defined as an idea or set of ideas intended to explain a phenomenon, though it may not yet be proven true, and should allow for predictions and empirical testing.

Uploaded by

Bhagwati Chaudhary
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
48 views

Example: Action Throughout Our Lives. As Children, Empiricists Say, We Learn by Observing Adults, and

This document discusses several key concepts: 1. A construct is a variable that does not physically exist but rather represents a concept, such as personality or job satisfaction. 2. Constructs in organizational behavior research cannot be directly measured and must be transformed, such as through survey responses or experimental behaviors, to approximate them. 3. A theory is generally defined as an idea or set of ideas intended to explain a phenomenon, though it may not yet be proven true, and should allow for predictions and empirical testing.

Uploaded by

Bhagwati Chaudhary
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 1

Roughly stated, a construct is a variable with no physical being.

For example, “personality” or


“job satisfaction” or “organizational commitment” don’t physically exist. They are more like
concepts.
This is part of what makes a field like Organizational Behavior tougher than the physical
sciences. So many of the variables in our field can’t be directly measured (they’re constructs).
We have to transform these constructs into something measurable (e.g., responses on a survey
or a given behavior in an experiment) in order to get some approximation of them.

It is evident from different literature that theory” is defined as:


• An idea or set of ideas that is intended to explain something about life or the world,
especially an idea that has not been proved to be true;
• General principles and ideas about a subject;
• An idea or opinion that someone thinks is true but for which they have no proof
(Longman 2003).

Wildly speaking, in the scientific field the word “theory” is used as a plausible general
principle or body of principles offered to explain a phenomenon. In a more
philosophical context, what is expected from a theory is a model capable of predicting
future occurrences or observations, being tested through experiment or otherwise
verified through empirical observation.

Empiricism is the philosophy of knowledge by observation. It holds that the best way to gain knowledge
is to see, hear, touch, or otherwise sense things directly. In stronger versions, it holds that this is the only
kind of knowledge that really counts. Empiricism has been extremely important to the history of science,
as various thinkers over the centuries have proposed that all knowledge should be
tested empirically rather than just through thought-experiments or rational calculation.

Example
Rationalists hold that you don’t have to make any observations to know that 1+1=2; any
person who understands the concepts of “one” and “addition” can work it out for themselves.
Empiricists argue the opposite: that we can only understand 1+1=2 because we’ve seen it in
action throughout our lives. As children, empiricists say, we learn by observing adults, and
that’s how we gain abstract knowledge about things like math and logic.
Of course, ideally, knowledge consists of both observation and logic; you don’t have to choose
between the two. It’s more a matter of which one you emphasize.

You might also like