Which example best illustrates an operational definition for 'social support'?

Which example best illustrates an operational definition for 'social support'?

• A. Perceived social support is defined as the subjective sense of being supported by others.
• B. Social support is measured by the number of supportive messages received per week.
• C. Social support is defined as overall social activity in a month.
• D. Social support is described as the quality of relationships.

Answer: (B)

This question tests how to operationalize a variable—turning a broad idea into a concrete, measurable procedure. An operational definition should be observable and measurable so you can collect data consistently across participants. Measuring social support by the number of supportive messages received per week provides a concrete, countable indicator you can actually observe or record, making it a reliable way to quantify the construct in a study. The other options rely on subjective feeling, broad activity, or general relationship descriptions rather than a specific measurement procedure. For example, defining social support by a subjective sense of being supported is about perception, not a concrete measurement; defining it by overall social activity or by the quality of relationships captures related concepts but not a direct, observable way to quantify social support. Therefore, counting supportive messages per week best demonstrates an operational definition.

This question tests how to operationalize a variable—turning a broad idea into a concrete, measurable procedure. An operational definition should be observable and measurable so you can collect data consistently across participants. Measuring social support by the number of supportive messages received per week provides a concrete, countable indicator you can actually observe or record, making it a reliable way to quantify the construct in a study.

The other options rely on subjective feeling, broad activity, or general relationship descriptions rather than a specific measurement procedure. For example, defining social support by a subjective sense of being supported is about perception, not a concrete measurement; defining it by overall social activity or by the quality of relationships captures related concepts but not a direct, observable way to quantify social support. Therefore, counting supportive messages per week best demonstrates an operational definition.