A conceptual analysis of conceptualisation as first phase in the development of a psychological measurement

Abstract

The assumption of psychological measurement scholars is that the conceptualisation phase, when developing such a measure, is not as important as the operationalization thereof. Although the development of a psychological measure encapsulates both a scientific method and a scientific reality or phenomenon, more attention is given to the experimentation and the mathematisation that are involved in operationalizing such a measure in comparison to the clarification of concepts, constructs, and terminology, which is a conceptual matter. Philosophical scholarly work has depicted that the conceptualisation phase is not only the pivot of a psychological measure, but also for the entire research inquiry, and careful attention should be given, as it has far-reaching effects on humans if not properly developed. The purpose of this conceptual research inquiry was to explore the term conceptualisation from a psycho-philosophical point of view in order to gain greater understanding of the complex meaning and processes that are associated with this term. A conceptual research inquiry, classified as a qualitative mode of inquiry, enabled the researchers to conduct an extensive investigation into conceptualisation as the first phase in the development of a psychological measurement to convey the precise meaning to the community of scholars, according to six phases. A purposive sample approach was utilised to generate a customised knowledge base by systematically selecting appropriate scientific renowned non-empirical or typographical text under the guidance of an information specialist. Phenomenology, as metatheory, enabled the researchers to clarify conceptualisation, since the centrality of human consciousness and mental metaphors is hermeneutic, symbolic, and analytical in nature. This metatheory draws on the premises that humans are continuously and consciously engaged with concepts. The philosophically inspired pre-scientific provisions included in the a priori framework were integrated personality positioning, transcendental positioning, teleological positioning, and nomothetic positioning. By applying conceptual analysis and a philosophically enthused a priori conceptual framework, the generated scientific typographical knowledge base was inductively and deductively analysed and interpreted according to the a priori categories of the meaning of conceptualisation. The significance of introducing a psycho-philosophical viewpoint to understand conceptualisation disclosed that psychometric literature relating to the development of a psychological measure depicts the conceptualisation phase as trivial and generic. According to the inductive and deductive analysis, it became evident that test developers and researchers give greater attention to developing the scientific method (epistemology) of a psychological measure, while the scientific reality (ontology) is almost implied and viewed as obvious, and the human positioning of the test developer (anthropology) is almost entirely omitted. It is therefore argued that a serious lacuna exists in scholarly work, which advises the process of developing a psychological measurement because the human factor is negated. It is essential to incorporate philosophical predispositions when conceptualising a measurement to enhance the integrity of such an instrument. Through an initial clarification of the term conceptualisation, a probable psycho-philosophical working definition was proposed, yet future dialogues concerning the advancement of this particular phase are beckoned and commended.