Nomological network: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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{{short description|Representation of concepts and relationships between concepts}}

'''Nomological network''' ("lawful network", the term "[[nomology]]" being derived from the [[Greek language|Greek]], meaning "lawful") is a representation of the [[concept]]s ([[construct]]s) of interest in a study, their observable manifestations, and the interrelationships among and between these. It was [[Lee J. Cronbach|Cronbach]] and [[Paul E. Meehl|Meehl]]'s view of [[construct validity]] that in order to provide [[Scientific method|evidence]] that a [[Measurement|measure]] has construct validity, a nomological network has to be developed for its measure.

A '''nomological network''' (or '''nomological net'''<ref>{{Citation|last1=Preckel|first1=Franzis|title=Nomological Nets|date=2017|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences|pages=1–4|editor-last=Zeigler-Hill|editor-first=Virgil|publisher=Springer International Publishing|language=en|doi=10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1334-1|isbn=9783319280998|last2=Brunner|first2=Martin|editor2-last=Shackelford|editor2-first=Todd K.}}</ref>) is a representation of the [[concept]]s ([[construct (philosophy of science)|construct]]s) of interest in a study, their observable manifestations, and the interrelationships between these. The term "[[nomological]]" derives from the [[Greek language|Greek]], meaning "lawful", or in [[philosophy of science]] terms, "law-like". It was [[Lee J. Cronbach|Cronbach]] and [[Paul E. Meehl|Meehl]]'s view of [[construct validity]] that in order to provide [[Scientific method|evidence]] that a [[Measurement|measure]] has construct validity, a nomological network must be developed for its measure.<ref name="Cronbach"> {{cite journal |last1=Cronbach |first1=L.J. |last2= Meehl|first2= P.E. |year= 1955 |title = Construct validity in psychological tests |journal=Psychological Bulletin |volume=52 |pages=281–302 |doi=10.1037/h0040957 |pmid=13245896 |issue=4|hdl=11299/184279 |s2cid=5312179 |hdl-access=free }} </ref>

The necessary elements of a nomological network are:

* Must have atAt least two [[Constructconstruct (disambiguationphilosophy of science)|construct]]s;

* One or more [[Theorytheory|Theoreticaltheoretical]] [[proposition]]s, specifying [[wikt:Special:Search/linkage|linkages]]s between constructs, for example: "As age increases, [[memory loss]] increases".

* [[Correspondence1:1 (mathematics)correspondence|Correspondence]] [[Operator (mathematics)|rule]]s, allowing aeach construct to be measured [[empiricism|empirically]]. Such a rule is said to "operationalize" the construct, as for example in the [[Operationalizationoperationalization]]: "Age" is measured by asking "how old are you?"

* Empirical linkages: represent [[Hypothesishypothesis|Hypotheseshypotheses]] before [[data]] collection., Empiricalempirical [[generalization]]s after data collection.▼

* [[Empiricism|Empirical]] constructs or variables that can actually be measured. These are operationalized theoretical constructs.

▲* Empirical linkages: [[Hypothesis|Hypotheses]] before [[data]] collection. Empirical [[generalization]] after data collection.

Validity evidence based on '''nomological validity''' is a general form of [[construct validity]]. It is the degree to which a construct behaves as it should within a system of related constructs (the nomological network).<ref name="Liu"> {{cite journal |last1=Liu |first1=Liping |last2= Li |first2= Chan |last3= Zhu |first3=Dan |year= 2012 |title = A New Approach to Testing Nomological Validity and Its Application to a Second-Order Measurement Model of Trust |journal=Journal of the Association for Information Systems |volume=13 |issue=12 |pages=950–975 |doi=10.17705/1jais.00320 |doi-access=free }} </ref>

Nomological networks are used in theory development and use a [[modernist]]{{clarify|date=December 2020}} approach.<ref>Alavi, M, Archibald, M., McMaster, R. Lopez, V. and Cleary, M. (2018) Aligning theory and methodology in mixed methods Research: Before Design Theoretical Placement ''International Journal of Social Research Methodology'' 21:5, 527-540</ref>

== See also ==

* [[Consilience]]

* [[Coherentism]]

* [[Nomology]]

== References ==

{{reflist}}

Cronbach, L. J. & Meehl, P. E. (1955). Construct validity in psychological tests. ''Psychological Bulletin, 52'', 281-302.

==External links==

* http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/nomonet.htm

[[Category:Validity (statistics)]]