TL;DR
This paper explores how measurement instruments influence data in social sciences and argues that understanding this reflexivity is essential for valid scientific knowledge of social phenomena.
Contribution
It provides the first systematic account of the causal relationships between measurement instruments and data in social sciences, emphasizing the importance of modeling this reflexivity.
Findings
Reflexive measurement significantly impacts social scientific data.
A causal model of measurement instruments is necessary for valid social science knowledge.
This work highlights the pervasive influence of measurement on data interpretation.
Abstract
This essay is the first systematic account of causal relationships between measurement instruments and the data they elicit in the social sciences. This problem of reflexive measurement is pervasive and profoundly affects social scientific inquiry. I argue that, when confronted by the problem of reflexive measurement, scientific knowledge of the social world is not possible without a model of the causal effect of our measurement instruments.
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Taxonomy
TopicsContemporary Sociological Theory and Practice · Social and Cultural Dynamics · Management and Organizational Studies