What is operational definition in psychology and examples

On this page we will explore what what is operational definition in psychology and list some examples. The “operational” part means giving the meaning of something as it’s being used in a particular study. So in psychology, an operational definition means defining the variable as it exists in the present study (Source: Themantic Education).

Five Examples of operational definition in psychology

Examples of the Operational Definitions of Conceptual Variables That Have Been Used in Psychological Research” lists some potential operational definitions of conceptual variables that have been used in psychological research. As you read through this list, note that in contrast to the abstract conceptual variables, the measured variables are very specific. This specificity is important for two reasons. First, more specific definitions mean that there is less danger that the collected data will be misunderstood by others. Second, specific definitions will enable future researchers to replicate the research.

Conceptual variable	Operational definitions
Aggression	Number of presses of a button that administers shock to another student Number of seconds taken to honk the horn at the car ahead after a stoplight turns green
Interpersonal attraction	Number of inches that an individual places his or her chair away from another person Number of millimeters of pupil dilation when one person looks at another
Employee satisfaction	Number of days per month an employee shows up to work on time Rating of job satisfaction from 1 (not at all satisfied) to 9 (extremely satisfied)
Decision-making skills	Number of groups able to correctly solve a group performance task Number of seconds in which a person solves a problem
Depression	Number of negative words used in a creative story Number of appointments made with a psychotherapist