operationalism
/ˌɑpəˈreɪʃənəˌlɪzəm/
noun
- A theory that the meaning of a concept is defined by the set of operations used to measure or observe it.
- Operationalism influenced early 20th-century physics and psychology.
- Critics argue that operationalism can be too narrow for complex concepts.
- The scientist applied operationalism to define temperature by how it is measured.